


To the Victor Goes the Spoils

by Wellwater41



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:20:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 33,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24852214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wellwater41/pseuds/Wellwater41
Summary: The infiltration of Sae’s palace takes a strange turn when the leader of the phantom thieves is less interested in the treasure and more interested in the palace ruler. Joker isn’t the type to let the threat of death get in the way of what he wants, and it turns out Sae isn’t the type to give up without a fight. An unstoppable force. An immovable object.  Come see who breaks first.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Sae, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Sae, Niijima Sae/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 31
Kudos: 281





	1. Time to Roll the Dice

Ryuji was almost used to infiltrating palaces by now. That bastard Kamoshida’s palace had been crazy. Seeing your evil gym teacher in a speedo and a cape would shake anyone, but then there were personas awakening and a talking jerk of a cat and getting justice for Shiho to distract him from overthinking it. Each palace after that got easier. Now they were in Makoto’s sister’s palace and the phrase same shit, different day came to mind.

“This way,” Ren called out from up ahead, motioning towards a set of stairs on the side of the casino. The thieves followed him.

After they made their way through an A/C vent, where Ryuji had ended up right behind Yusuke because of course he did, a voice called out to them from the lobby below.

“Come down here, little thieves,” a feminine voice mocked.

Ryuji did a double take, a literal double take, at the woman down below. He shook his head slightly to clear his vision. Nope, he was seeing correctly. Makoto’s sister, yellow eyes and all, wearing a dress so hot it should be illegal. Ryuji’s only conscious thought was that even after all this time, the metaverse could still surprise him.

No one in their group said anything for a moment as they took it in. Makoto looked as nervous as he’d ever seen her. Ryuji put a supportive hand on her shoulder.

“There’s no point in hiding anymore,” Akechi said, and Ren nodded his agreement. They made their way down to where Sae and her henchmen waited.

As they approached, Ryuji couldn’t help but take in the full picture. Heavy eyeshadow, a choker necklace, a neckline that went down to her damn waist; It was a lot to handle.

“So, you’re finally here,” Sae said, smiling darkly. “The phantom thieves have come to my casino. I must say, I’m excited to see what you can do.”

There was a lull for a moment as no one spoke. Every other palace ruler except Futaba had been outright hostile to them, but Sae seemed almost happy to see them. Ren strolled forward nonchalantly, his hands in his pocket with his trademark slouch, and Ryuji let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as their leader began to speak.

“I hope we don’t disappoint,” Ren said easily. He looked as cool and collected as Ryuji had ever seen him, seemingly unbothered by the Sae’s appearance.

“Ah, you must be the leader,” Sae said, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Guilty as charged,” Ren said with a shrug, “Joker of the phantom thieves, at your service,”

“That’s quite the nickname,” Sae said with a mocking smirk.

“It suits me,” Ren said, shooting her a cocky smirk right back.

Ryuji was baffled, and he glanced around at his fellow teammates to check their reactions. Ann met his eyes, a similar look of confusion on her face. They’d come to the palace to steal a treasure and Ren was chatting like he didn’t have a care in the world?

“Your sense of justice has become corrupted,” Akechi spoke up for the first time. “Falsifying evidence? Coercing confessions? That’s hardly true justice.”

“There is no true justice,” Sae shot back, scowling. “Not anymore.”

“Oh sis…” Makoto said sadly, just loud enough that Ryuji could hear.

“Do you know how hard I’ve worked to get nowhere?” Sae spat out, “it’s a rigged game! And if the game isn’t fair then why shouldn’t I take matters into my own hands?”

“We can’t let you get away with that!” Ryuji shouted, and some of the others voiced their agreements.

Sae seemed to take their anger in stride, looking across their group slowly before settling on Ren.

“And you?” Sae accused, “you’re not upset by all this?”

Ryuji has to agree with her, Ren didn’t look bothered at all by the shadow’s ranting. He hadn’t moved from his relaxed, slouched position at the front of their group.

“I mean, I get it,” Ren said with a shrug, “I know what it’s like to have everyone against you and to know playing by the rules won’t get you anywhere.”

Ryuji opened his mouth to say something, but shut it just as quickly. That was a pretty good point.

“Oh?” Sae asked curiously, “is there division among the phantom thieves? Are you planning on defecting to my side?”

“Not at all,” Ren said easily, “you’re trying to take us down. Just because I understand you doesn’t mean I’m going to let you win.”

“Hmph,” Sae scoffed, “It won’t be so easy. I’ve spent years making myself the best player in this place. You’ve got a long way to go before you reach my level.”

“I like a challenge,” Ren shot back with a smirk.

“So do I,” Sae said, a dangerous glint in her eye, “I hope you don’t disappoint.”

“I never do,” Ren said cheekily.

“We’ll see,” Sae said, some of the anger in her eyes replaced with something that Ryuji couldn’t quite recognize. “I’ll be on the top level of the casino if you can make it there.”

She disappeared in a flash, reappearing in the nearby elevator before ascending. The thieves were alone again. And Ryuji could see Ren was still smiling.

* * *

  
  


Makoto was having a bad day. She’d been struggling with the implications of her sister’s palace for months now. She didn’t see her sister as evil, just confused and overwhelmed. She didn’t want to see her on her knees begging for forgiveness like Kaneshiro. But for all Makoto knew, that was the only way. And that was before she’d seen her sister’s shadow. Knowing your sister was sort of messed up was one thing, but seeing it first hand made it so much more real. But then they’d had to jump right into fighting shadows and finding a keycard and she’d put it to the back of her mind.

Now that they’d made it to a safe room, Makoto had nothing to distract herself from the weight of what they were trying to do. Everyone else seemed to be in a similar mindset, as no one had said more than a few words since meeting Sae’s shadow.

Was her sister too far gone? If they defeated her shadow, would she fall to pieces like Kamoshida? Sae hadn’t done anything unforgivable yet, but if it was only a matter of time was that any better? And what about her shadow? Was that how she saw herself deep in her mind? Or was it how she thought others saw her? Or maybe worst of all, was that what she wished she could be? There was no way for Makoto to tell but it was weighing heavily on her.

Haru was rubbing her back with slow, comforting strokes and that helped a bit. The rest of the thieves were strewn about the room in various states. Ren seemed mostly unaffected, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. He was always like that, and it was comforting to think he was unshakable no matter how bad it got. But it was Ryuji who finally broke the room’s oppressive silence.

“So,” Ryuji said slowly, “your sister’s, uh…”

Makoto sighed. She’d kept her worries about her sister to herself for so long, it was almost comforting to finally have it out in the open. She would face her friends’ questions now.

“Cruel?” Makoto challenged quietly, her eyes downcast, “Corrupt? Twisted?”

“Kinda,” Ryuji admitted, but his voice grew excited, “but still, so freakin’ hot!”

Makoto looked up in shock. There was a moment of silence among the group before Ann reached over and slugged Ryuji in the shoulder.

“Don’t say stuff like that you perv!” Ann exclaimed, “what the hell is wrong with you, that’s Makoto’s sister.”

“It’s just her shadow,” Makoto mumbled, more to herself than anyone else, “it’s not the real her.”

“How could you even think that?” Futaba accused from her spot in the corner, knees tucked up against her chest and an annoyed look on her face.

“Because I’m a man and I have eyes,” Ryuji sulked before looking around the room. “Guys, back me up, I’m right aren’t I? Fox?”

“There is a certain artistic appeal to her shadow’s appearance,” Yusuke nodded, “harsh and unyielding, it would make for quite the painting.”

“See?” Ryuji exclaimed, “that’s practically a love letter coming from him!”

“You’re such an idiot Skull,” Morgana called out from his perch in the corner, “a true phantom thief would never love someone whose heart was distorted.”

“You’re a cat, you don’t get a say here,” Ryuji shot back.

As the argument between Morgana and Ryuji about who was more of an idiot ramped up, Makoto tried to process this new piece of information. Seeing her sister in that dress had certainly been a shock. Sae wore turtlenecks and suits every day, and seeing so much of her sister’s skin had been… unsettling. The tattoos on her back and the heavy makeup reminded Makoto of the girls in yakuza films, but seeing it on her sister was just jarring. Her sister’s shadow was certainly less gross than Kaneshiro’s, but knowing how different her sister’s shadow was from who she used to be somehow made it even more disturbing. She just couldn’t see what Ryuji was talking about.

“Enough,” Haru said in her stern-but-soft voice that she rarely used, and Ruiji and Morgana quieted down, content with shooting each other glares across the table they were seated at.

“I’m not upset,” Makoto responded honestly, “I’m just taking it all in.”

Haru’s pitying look said she didn't believe Makoto, but thankfully she let it go.

“Sorry Makoto,” Ryuji apologized gruffly, “I didn’t mean anything by it. I thought it was, like, an elephant in the room and I figured everyone was thinking it so I’d just say it.”

“Only you would think that,” Ann shot back. “Stop thinking like such a boy!”

“Oh come on,” Ryuji argued with her, “You’re saying she didn’t look good?”

“I mean, well, she…” Ann sputtered, “That’s not the point! She’s trying to lock us up!”

“I know that, I’m not stupid,” Ryuji asked angrily. “I’m just saying she looked good. Better than seeing Kamoshida in a speedo at least.”

Ann smacked him again, harder this time and he rubbed his shoulder angrily.

“Why’re you getting mad at me for? I’m right!” Ryuji exclaimed, “Joker, back me up, you were the one flirtin’ with her.”

“Joker wasn’t flir… huh,” Ann trailed off thoughtfully before turning to their leader. “That’s right, what was up with that?”

The thieves all turned towards Ren and he raised his hands placatingly.

“I was just talking to her, that’s all,” Ren shrugged, but Ann shook her head.

“Uh uh, nope,” Ann said shrewdly. “All that talk about how you understand her and you like a challenge, you sounded like one of those hosts outside the bars in Shinjuku.”

“I’m hurt Panther, I was a perfect gentleman,” Ren said, giving her a roguish smile.

“See, that right there, that’s what I’m talking about,” Ann pointed out, “people don’t say that.”

“Just answer the question,” Makoto said suddenly, a little more steel in her voice than she expected. “Do you agree with Skull or not?”

“Oh, she’s definitely dangerous,” Ren smirked.

“That’s not really an answer,” Makoto said stonily and Ren’s smirk faded.

“Look we all know this is different than the other times,” Ren began, “we don’t want to hurt Sae, we just want to stop her from doing something she regrets. She’s not our enemy, not really, and I’m not going to treat her like she is. And I’m hoping by the end of this she won’t see us as enemies either. I’m positive she can come back from this.”

Ren’s words had a calming effect on the group, and Makoto let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. Everyone looked a bit more relaxed, there were even a few sheepish smiles as Ren continued.

“Come on guys, we’re experts at this, infiltrating a palace is old news by now. And we know exactly where to go. We’re going to save her, no doubt about it. Are you with me?”

Everyone voiced their enthusiasm and the tension in the room was broken. Makoto knew he was right. They’d faced down all kind of challenges before, and they’d always beaten the odds to come out on top.

“Thank you,” Makoto said quietly to Ren as the rest of the thieves chatted amicably amongst themselves, “you always know what to say.”

“Of course,” Ren said graciously, “I just have one question for you.”

“What’s that?” Makoto looked at him puzzled.

“In the real world, does your sister own that dress already or do I need to order it for her?”

Makoto swatted at him, but he ducked out of her reach, laughing all the while.

“What about the tattoos, are they real?” Ren asked over his shoulder as he headed towards the door.

“Is this always how things are with your group?” Akechi asked her innocently from a few feet away. Makoto chose not to respond.

What followed was several hours of listening to Ren exchange witty banter with her sister’s shadow that left her annoyed and frustrated.

“Why do you insist on flirting with my sister?” She had finally demanded, exasperated.

He had just laughed.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Ann sat at the bar of Leblanc as Ren busied himself behind the counter making them coffee, Sojiro’s watchful eyes never leaving him. The thieves had spent the day at the courthouse waiting for Sae to notice them in order to open up the rest of her palace.

Makoto had called Ann the night before, worried and upset about Ren’s behavior towards her sister’s shadow. Ann had calmed her down, telling her it was nothing. After all, Ann was no stranger to flirting with shadows in the metaverse. It didn’t really mean anything.

But then they’d gone to the courthouse, and the second Sae had walked out in her black suit with her silver hair swept back and a stern look on her face, Ren couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Ann understood her palace a bit more in that moment. Sae ruled that courtroom. She stalked the floor like a tiger, she had an answer for everything. There were no cracks, no weaknesses. And Ren stared at her with a look filled with such intensity that Ann almost felt uncomfortable, like she was seeing something she had no business seeing.

Ann had decided to talk with their leader after that. So she’d come with him to Leblanc. Futaba had maybe sensed what she was doing, as the redhead had taken Morgana with her when they split up near the cafe.

“Cream and sugar?” Ren asked suddenly, startling Ann out of her musings.

“Yes, please,” she said quickly, and Ren gave a lopsided smile as if he could read her thoughts.

Ren sat a steaming cup in front of her, a perfect shade of tan. He handed his own cup to Sojiro for judgment, and the older man took a sip.

“Not too bad,” Sojiro grumbled with a small smile, “glad you’re paying attention to my lessons.”

Ren took the cup back with a small smile before he turned back to Ann.

“So,” Ren said nonchalantly, “what should we talk about?”

Ann gave him a pointed look.

“You too?” Ren asked sheepishly, “it’s just a bit of harmless flirting, why is everyone so upset by it?”

“Don’t give me that,” Ann argued, “ I saw the way you were looking at her today.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ren said with a shake of his head, “you’re imagining things.”

“Oh ho!” Sojiro interjected, a knowing smirk on his face. “So you’ve finally found yourself a girl? No use denying it, I can see it in your eyes.”

“That’s not what this is,” Ren raised his hands in defense.

“It sort of is,” Ann pointed out, smirking.

“Who’s the lucky lady?” Sojiro’s smirk grew even larger. “Anyone I know? One of the girls from your little group perhaps?”

Ren said nothing, and shot Ann a warning glare. She was not deterred.

“Makoto’s sister, Sae. The prosecutor,” Ann supplies.

Ren winced and Sojiro’s smile disappeared. Ann watched him fix the shaggy-haired boy with a stern look before reaching over and smacking him in the back of the head.

“You’re an idiot,” Sojiro told him bluntly.

“It’s not like that,” Ren argued, rubbing the back of his head.

“Isn’t she the one running the investigation into your little group?”

“Yeah,” Ren mumbled.

Sojiro picked Ren’s cup up off the counter and walked it to the sink, dumping it out before turning back.

“Idiots don’t get coffee,” Sojiro grunted out.

“Even if she wasn’t trying to arrest you, I still don’t get it,” Ann interjected, “what do you even see in her?”

“Even if she wasn’t trying to arrest you?!” Sojiro asked incredulously before throwing his hands up in exasperation and stomping towards the cafe door, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his apron and muttering about crazy kids and how they’d be the death of him. As the door slammed, there was a moment of awkward silence before they resumed their conversation.

“You’re overthinking this,” Ren said with a smirk, “did you see that dress? Who wouldn’t be into that.”

“I wear a red latex bodysuit,” Ann said flatly, “and you’ve never stared at me with half the interest you had in Sae today.”

“You’re really not going to let this go?” Ren asked tiredly.

“Nope,” Ann said sweetly, flashing him a million dollar smile.

“Fine,” Ren groaned, “I’ll answer your questions. Lay them on me.”

“Good,” Ann nodded, “question one, do you realize how stupid it is to have a crush on a woman who is trying to frame you for murder?”

“I am aware that the situation is not ideal, yes,” Ren nodded, “are all your questions going to be like this?”

“I’m just starting with the easy ones. Question two, you do realize she is, like, a decade older than you and would have no reason to be interested in a high schooler.”

“She’s in her mid-twenties at the latest,” Ren pointed out pettily. “That’s only a few years older than me.”

“Pretty sure that’s still illegal,” Ann raised her eyebrows at him, daring him to contradict her again. He kept his mouth shut.

“Question three,” Ann continued, “she has done nothing but threaten you, insult you, and try to kill you, and you’re still into her”

“Was there a question in there?” Ren asked, a single eyebrow raised.

“Are you a masochist?” Ann asked innocently.

Ren gave her his driest, least amused look.

“Your phantom thief outfit is red latex and a whip,” he pointed out.

“And now I’m worried it’s sending you the wrong message,” she smirked.

“I’m not going to stay here if you’re just going to make jokes,” Ren said as he turned to walk out from behind the counter. Ann caught his arm from across the bar.

“Okay, I’ve had my fun,” Ann agreed, “I’m here for you, I really am. Just talk to me. Why her?”

Ren stopped trying to walk away and turned towards her. He gave her a searching look, as if trying to decide if he could trust her. Ann gave him her most supportive smile.

“Come on,” Ann coaxed, “talk to me, I want to understand. Because from my point of view, she’s just the worst. I know we’re gonna save her for Makoto’s sake, but right now she’s nearly as bad as all the rest of the people with palaces. So explain it to me, please.”

Ren gave her a searching look before nodding slightly

“Yeah, alright,” Ren finally agreed. “It’s just, you know how she always talks about things like they’re a game?”

“Right,” Ann nodded, “usually right before she tries to justify why cheating the system is ok.”

“Yeah, I know,” Ren winced slightly, “but I think the stuff about the coerced confessions and the threats and all that is just her distortion. I think she’s someone who wants to do the right thing, and she’s fighting against a system that’s trying to prevent that. And maybe trying for so long with so little success was enough to change her, but I have to believe she can become that person again.”

“And why’s that,” Ann asked quietly, already knowing the answer.

“Because that’s how I see myself,” Ren said with a sigh.

“Ren,” Ann said in a sad voice, but he cut her off gently.”

“No, it is,” Ren said, “it’s been one hurdle after another since I got to Tokyo. I try to help with Kamoshida and I almost get expelled. We try to help Yusuke and he gets kicked out of his home. Haru’s dad is dead, and yeah, I know it’s not our fault, but they’re still blaming us for it.”

Ann sat quietly, allowing her friend to vent his frustrations, sensing this had been building up in him for a while now.

“So I do whatever I can to give us a better chance. I helped Iwai with his son to get him to like me better so we get better weapons. I convinced Tae to give us drugs under the counter. She'd lose her license in a second if anyone found out. Hell, I pretty much blackmail our homeroom teacher to get her to make us lockpicks and vanish balls.”

“Kawakami makes our lockpicks?” Ann asked incredulously, “since when?”

“Not important,” Ren dismissed her easily and moved on quickly, “and even with you guys, I helped you with Mika and I did it because I care about you, but I also needed to make sure you weren’t distracted when we were in the metaverse. And if I had to choose between helping someone just because or hurting them to give us a better chance in the metaverse, I don’t know which one I’d pick anymore.”

Ann placed a reassuring hand on his arm. He didn’t stop speaking, but he didn’t shake her off either.

“You know what my first thought was when I found out Akechi was going to betray us?” Ren chuckled bitterly, “get rid of him. Attack him in the metaverse. And you want to know why I didn’t suggest it? Because I didn’t want to disappoint all of you. How pathetic is that.”

“It doesn’t make you pathetic,” Ann said softly, “it makes you human.”

Ren made a dismissive sound and Ann grabbed his wrist hard.

“I wanted Kamoshida dead,” Ann said sharply, “do you remember why I let him live? I said I wanted him to admit his crimes.”

“I remember,” Ren nodded, “Morgana said you were being kind.”

“I wasn’t,” Ann said harshly, “I thought death was too easy. So don’t pretend like you’re some evil person, you’re our leader and we all know you’re doing your best. And trust me, we all want Akechi to go down. But killing him won’t get the police off our back.”

“Thanks,” Ren sighed, a genuine smile on his face, “I guess I’ve been holding a lot of that in.”

“Obviously,” Ann laughed, “that was all pretty heavy, I just wanted to know why you were into Makoto’s sister.”

“Her legs,” Ren said with a smile, “and the way they look in heels. What can I say, I’m only human.”

“Yeah, sure,” Ann rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Well, your secret’s safe with me.”

Ren’s phone buzzed, interrupting their moment. It was a text from Futaba that simply said ‘and me!’

“Futaba!” Ren groaned, “what have I said about eavesdropping on me?”

Another text, ‘I don’t answer to you!’

“It’s almost our fault at this point,” Ann pointed out, smiling, “she’s nothing if not consistent.”

“Futaba,” Ren said dangerously, “if you breathe a word of this conversation to anyone, I will come to your room and rip the curtains off your windows so you can never hide from the sun again.”

No text came, and Ren took it as a sign of peace via mutually assured destruction.

  
  


* * *

Ren was awash with energy as the thieves entered Sae’s casino one final time. Like always, he hid behind the mask of Joker, the cocky, roguish thief. But inside his blood was boiling, begging him to move.

“You all know our objective,” he said to those gathered around him, “just like the other times. Get in, get to the treasure, and get out.”

Except it wasn’t like the other times. The thieves knew that. Akechi knew that as well. And everyone was just pretending nothing was wrong. It would have been funny if the stakes weren’t so high.

Akechi had insisted they wait until the very last moment to send out the calling card, no doubt to set up his elaborate plans for capturing them. It was laughable how transparent he was. And the fact that he hadn’t doubted everyone’s quick agreement to his plan was further proof of just how clever he thought he was. The idea he was being played probably never occurred to him.

Ren should be afraid. He should be terrified, too worried about his imminent death to even move. But he was in the metaverse now, and here he was Joker.. Joker never panicked. Joker had to win.

Joker could handle a dozen personas all jumbled up in his head. Joker could flirt outrageously with the femme fatale trying to kill him. And Joker would be the one who was still standing after all of this.

And so he smiled. As they rode the elevator to the top of the casino and found Sae waiting for them, he smiled. After she gave her speech about how unfair life was, he wolf-whistled at her. He could almost imagine her blushing at that, but no luck. Oh well, maybe he’d give it a shot someday in the real world.

She tried to cheat, they overcame her. She went berserk and transformed into a monster and they still held. And as she lay beaten, she spoke gentle words with her sister and started on the road to reconciliation. She had looked at him then, eyes full of sadness and wounded pride, daring him to say something and he fought the urge to stride over and kiss her thoroughly. He hoped he wouldn’t regret the missed opportunity.

As he turned to flee, to play his role and lead their pursuers away, his smile did not falter. He was gambling with his life, but he had the devil’s own luck on his side. He would get his freedom. He would find out who was behind all this and he would bring them down. But right now, he had a date with a beautiful woman in an interrogation room. And as he was kicked from a ladder down to a crowd of policemen below, he kept smiling.

It was time to roll the dice.


	2. The Room Where it Happens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The interrogation of the leader of the phantom thieves goes much differently than Sae expects. But that's Joker for you.

Sae was having a particularly difficult day. She’d slept terribly the night before after receiving a calling card from the very phantom thieves she was trying to capture. She’d spent the day pouring over the evidence or lack thereof, making no progress. She was just about to walk into her apartment to get a change of clothes and head back to the office when her phone rang.

It was her director, calling to inform her that they’d apprehended the leader of the phantom thieves in some sort of raid that she hadn’t even been aware of. Sae fought the urge to groan in frustration. The director politely but firmly told her that everything was being handled and she was off the case. Sae had politely but firmly told him that this was her case and she would be the one to interrogate the suspect. Then she’d hung up and said some not-so-polite things about him. She turned around and headed for the subway station.

The subway was mostly empty. It was that gap of time between the after-work rush hour and the last few trains that brought the drunks home. Sae found a seat easily, sitting and crossing her long legs, the very image of calm professionalism. Inside her mind was racing.

She had been so close, she could feel it. The calling card yesterday was practically proof of it, there was no way a group like the phantom thieves would risk threatening a public prosecutor unless she was right on their tail. And now her chance at a promotion was slowly slipping through her fingers. If she couldn’t get a confession now, she’d be cast aside. She would do anything to get that confession. Well, almost anything. She wanted to do this right.

“Strange,” Sae mumbled to herself. She could recall even a few days ago when she’d been willing to do whatever it took to solve this case, laws and rules be damned.

She shook her head and laughed mirthlessly. She must have been getting truly desperate if she’d been willing to break the rules. That took all the satisfaction out of it. It must have just been her frustration talking. Now that she had a real chance, a real lead, there was no need for that. She’d show just how capable she was, how much she deserved a promotion. She could finally win.

The announcement from the loudspeakers calling out her stop shook her from her musings and she stood up resolutely. She walked out of the subway station quickly, taking long strides as her heels clicked against the sidewalk below. This was one of the times being taller than other women and most men paid off as she made it to the station in record time.

“Sae Niijima,” she announced to the man at the welcome desk, showing him her ID. He waved her through without a second glance. She was a common enough fixture here that he probably recognized her.

She reached an elevator, swiping her badge over the sensor to allow her access to all floors. There was only one place they’d be keeping a suspect this dangerous and this important. She pressed the button for the bottom floor.

The ride was quick, but she was able to take a few deep breaths and school her features into a no-nonsense look. Something felt off about all of this, and if something else was going on here, it was likely whoever was guarding the suspect would be in on it.

As the door opened, she could see a pair of guards in front of the interrogation room door, hulking men in black suits that looked like they were here for their muscles and because they could follow orders. That did not bode well, but Sae did not let them intimidate her.

“I need to speak with the prisoner,” Sae said in a clipped tone as she approached.

“No one gets in or out,” one of the men said with a scowl. Absentmindedly, Sae noticed the scrapes lining the knuckles of his right hand. That probably meant they’d already been working on the suspect in the interrogation room.

“I am Sae Niijima,” she tried again, “from the public prosecutors office. I need to interrogate with the suspect.”

“This case is out of your jurisdiction now,” the man said with a sneer.

Before Sae could formulate a response, another man approached from the elevator, an older detective she recognized from around the station but did not know personally.

“Miss Niijima,” he said, “I have a call for you from the director of the SIU.”

He handed over the phone and Sae took it, curious as to why the director hadn’t called her himself.

“Hello,” Sae said slowly.

“I thought I told you to stand down?” Her director asked in an accusatory tone.

“Sir, this is my case,” Sae argued, “I’m in charge of this investigation and I can’t even speak to the primary suspect?”

“Fine,” the director sighed, “get it over with, but be quick about it. I won’t have you wasting time.”

Sae bit back a retort and thanked the man, handing the phone back to the older detective and striding between the two guards before they could second guess what had just happened. If this was the chance she had, she would take it.

She went to turn the door handle, but paused for the briefest of moments. After all this time, she would finally find out who was behind all this. It would finally be solved, and the game would be finished. She relished the thought before turning the handle and pushing the door open.

She fought the urge to gasp at the figure sitting within. There were two things she noticed right away. One was that the suspect was clearly a teenager, as evidence by a familiar school uniform. And two, he looked absolutely terrible. He was slouching deep in his chair and staring at the wall, eyes unfocused. There was a shallow gash across his forehead, already bruising as a few drops of blood dripped down around his eye. Sae noticed a few syringes scattered across the interrogation room floor and shook her head in displeasure. But she steeled herself, what was already done could not be undone.

“Hello,” Sae said evenly, “I’m sure you already know who I am. I’d like to ask you a few questions.

The boy in front of her shook his head slowly, as if he were trying to rouse himself out of his daze. He pulled himself up in his chair with a groan, still feeling the effects of whatever drugs they’d given him. Sae watched as he took several deep breaths, eyes still clouded and unfocused. Then his vision seemed to clear and he seemed to notice her for the first time.

“Hello prosecutor,” he said, flashing her a cocky smile, “it’s good to see you again.”

Sae narrowed her eyes. The boy did seem strangely familiar. She racked her brain for where she would have seen him before. It came to her slowly.

“I met you at Leblanc, didn’t I?” Sae said at last, “you’re Sojiro Sakura’s ward.”

“Among other things,” he said with a knowing smile.

“I knew he had something to do with this!” Sae said, letting a bit of her excitement out. The boy shook his head.

“Not really,” the boy shook his head, “only tangentially.”

Sae nodded, taking in this new information. Not for the first time she felt a little guilty about threatening the owner of Leblanc with loss of custody of the girl he clearly saw as a daughter. Still, the older man was part of this and that justified it, right? Sae put it out of her mind, moral quandaries could wait until later.

“We don’t have much time,” Sae said as she took the seat across from the boy, “I need you to tell me everything, starting with your name.”

“Joker of the phantom thieves, at your service,” he said with a smile before he slouched again, his eyes losing their focus.

As she shook the boy awake, Sae was struck with the strangest feeling of déjà vu. His head was lolling about, as if he did not have the strength to keep it up. Sae stubbornly held him up by his forehead.

“There’s something I have to tell you,” the boy mumbled and Sae leaned in to hear, “something I have to convince you of, I think.”

Sae waited with baited breath as consciousness returned to him. His grey eyes met her gaze.

“Would you like to grab a drink after this?” He said cheekily.

She let go of his forehead and he fell face first into the table. Sae was used to suspects asking her out, flirting with her, even making lewd comments. It came with the territory of being a woman in a profession dominated by men. But to hear it from a high schooler who should have been so intimidated by her that he scarcely dared to speak? That was just embarrassing. This boy must have a particularly strong sense of bravery or a complete lack of self-preservation. Which, she admitted, sort of fit with the whole phantom thieves thing.

“Ow,” the boy groaned, “why’d you drop me.”

“Blame the weight of your own stupidity,” Sae said drily, “I couldn’t support it any longer.”

The boy laughed at her, a bright sound that was so out of place that Sae assumed the drugs had finally taken full control of his senses.

“That’s fair,” the boy smiled, “I think it helped, my head feels a lot clearer now. I’m Ren, by the way.”

“Sae,” she replied in turn, not entirely sure why she was exchanging pleasantries with a suspect. Maybe it would help get him to lower his guard. It shouldn’t be necessary, this was a high schooler, not a hardened criminal. But a normal high schooler wouldn’t be here at all, she supposed.

“Ren,” Sae said, “you’re being held as a suspect in the murder of nearly a dozen individuals, those affected by the so-called mental shutdowns. If you confess to these murders it’ll go easier for you.”

Ren shook his head resolutely.

“The phantom thieves aren’t responsible for any murders,” Ren said, “the mental shutdown cases are a different method from how we operate.”

“Your principal and Kunikazu Okumura both received calling cards before they died,” Sae interjected.

“Kobayakawa we had nothing to do with,” Ren argued, “it wouldn’t make sense for us to go after him so soon after dealing with Kamoshida. We changed Okumura’s heart just like all the rest, but someone else got to him after us and caused his death.”

“Who?” Sae asked pointedly, “and just what do you mean by changing their hearts?”

Ren leaned forward, resting his chin on his steepled fingers. He was studying her, Sae realized, and she fixed him with her blankest stare. Whatever it was he was looking for, it was hard to say if he’d found it as he leaned back once more.

“I’d like to make you a bet, prosecutor,” Ren said slowly, “I’ll tell you everything: our methods, how we pick targets, what we know about the others out there who can do what we do.”

“What’s the bet?” Sae asked, giving him a shrewd look.

“I believe I can convince you of our innocence. If I win, all you need to do is something so simple, so trivial, that it won’t affect you in the least. And if I can’t, you’ll have all the information you need to lock me up for the rest of my life.”

“That’s your plan?” Sae said incredulously, “you plan on convincing a public prosecutor that you’re innocent despite all the evidence against you?”

“I can be very persuasive,” Ren winked at her and Sae gave him another flat look. The drugs were clearly affecting him.

“If you can do that, I’ll buy you that drink myself,” Sae said sarcastically.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Ren said with a smirk of his own as he settled down to begin his story.

At first she was annoyed that he was wasting her time, telling her stories about a talking cat and a castle where his school was supposed to be. Then she was confused as he spoke about shadows and treasure. Eventually she decided to humor him. It would make this whole thing easier and he would no doubt slip up at some point and give her some names.

It was silly, the way he refused to name his accomplices even though some of them were quite obvious. Panther was Ann Takamaki. Her best friend had been one of Kamoshida’s victims, Sae knew from the case files she’d spent months pouring over. Fox was Yusuke Kitagawa, one of Madarame’s pupils. Ren seemed like a smart person, he had to know that he was giving her all the information she needed to find all of them. But he kept up with it, even as he moved on to someone who felt even more familiar than the others.

“So Queen takes it hard when Panther calls her useless,” Ren continued, “and she runs off to find the yakuza guys talking about how everyone thinks she’s useless and she’ll show them.”

“She said that?” Sae asked quietly, recalling a particularly bad night months ago when her sister had needed her and she’d brushed her aside. Had she really called Makoto useless? How could she have done that?

“Yeah,” Ren nodded, “it was a rough time for her. But I think she ended up better off because of it. She needed to take control of her life instead of letting everyone around her dictate her choices. She’s a hell of a lot stronger now than she was in.”

Sae smiled sadly but proudly as Ren continued his story and she got to hear all about how strong her baby sister was. Sae was grateful that Ren didn’t comment on her obvious discomfort with this part of the story. No doubt the young man across from her had been there for her sister when Sae had not. She resolved to fix her and Makoto’s broken relationship even as she sternly pushed the implications of her sister being a phantom thief from her mind. There would be time for that after this story was through.

And on it went. Sae wasn’t sure when she decided that Ren was telling the truth, it was a gradual process. But as he spoke about the aftermath of the Okumura incident and their horror at his death, Sae found herself nodding in agreement. It made sense if you ignored all the stuff that made no sense at all. Still, it was all too ridiculous to be a lie. Why go to all that trouble?

Sae listened as he went on about how Crow, who was so clearly Akechi that Sae almost rolled her eyes, blackmailed them into helping with one final palace before they had to abandon their roles as phantom thieves.

“So Akechi betrayed you,” Sae said suddenly and Ren froze before frowning.

“Please don’t ruin my story,” Ren said with some annoyance, “I don’t tell you how to prosecute, do I?”

Sae fixed him with her most withering stare.

“It’s so obvious that he’s the one who’s going to betray you, he’s the only one who doesn’t approve of what you were doing.”

“Fine, yes, Crow,” Ren exaggerated his pronunciation of the codename, “is the one who betrayed us. We hacked his phone and listened to his plans to get rid of us. Now can I continue?”

“What’s the point?” Sae said, “that’s what you wanted to convince me of, right? That you’re not murderers and Crow is the real criminal? I think you’ve already explained yourself as well as you can.”

“Well, yeah,” Ren said as if all that was an afterthought, “but I really wanted to tell you about the final palace, it’s the best one.”

“You’re taking this whole thing way too lightly,” Sae scoffed, “this isn’t a game you know.”

“Oh Sae,” Ren said with a chuckle, “it most certainly is. And I want you to know how I won.”

It was the first time Ren had said her name, and hearing him refer to her in such a familiar manner sent another wave of déjà vu through her.

“Fine,” Sae said with a nod, “the final palace, who was it?”

“What do you mean?” Ren asked, confused. “It was you obviously.”

“Me?” Sae raised an eyebrow, “I thought that calling card was just an idle threat. I haven’t had a change of heart or anything.”

“That’s because we didn’t steal your treasure in the end,” Ren said smugly.

“Okay,” Sae said slowly, “why?”

“I don’t really want to tell you now,” Ren said petulantly, “you’ve sort of stolen my thunder and you already said you believe me.”

“Come on,” Sae argued, “don’t be a child.”

Ren simply narrowed his eyes at her. She sighed and reached her hand across the table, placing it on the teenager’s on hand.

“Please,” she said earnestly, a hopeful smile on her face. It amused her to no end to see the pink in the boy’s cheeks as he nodded. She didn’t know why, but seeing a crack in his carefully maintained composure was amusing.

“Fine,” Ren said, “but only if you can guess your distortion. I’ll give you a hint, it’s how you see the courthouse.”

“Casino,” Sae said without delay. Ren looked impressed.

“Wow, right in one. I wish you’d been around when we were trying to figure that out.”

“It’s not surprising, not to me,” Sae explained, “I’ve always thought of being an attorney as a challenge to overcome, but lately I’ve been frustrated with just how rigged the system feels. Ergo, a casino.”

Ren was staring at her as she finished her explanation. It was such an intense, focused look that Sae almost felt uncomfortable. It was as if he was trying to read her thoughts just through the power of eye contact. But Sae was not the type to be intimidated and she met his stare, eyebrows raised as if in challenge. Ren smirked at her, relaxing that penetrating stare he had.

“You’re an impressive woman, Sae,” Ren said casually, “I’m coming to understand that more and more.”

Sae did not know how to respond to that. That was the sort of lazy come-on she expected from new coworkers who did not know her reputation. And yet, from Ren, it felt honest. Like he was admitting it to himself more than to her. Sae took it as an innocent compliment, doubting that the boy meant it as anything more than that.

And then Ren started talking about her palace and her shadow self and Sae had to rethink her stance on just how innocent thi teenager was.

“There is no way,” Sae said slowly, “that any part of me would want to look like that. Tattoos? Heavy eyeliner? Who the hell do you think I am.”

“Hey,” Ren raised his hands in defense, “don’t shoot the messenger.”

“It’s ridiculous, I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that dress.”

“Believe it or not,” Ren shrugged, “that’s how it was.”

“I wore that dress one time, and that was years ago now.”

“What?” Ren said, his smirk morphing to a blank look so fast that Sae stopped talking.

“What?” Sae asked confused.

“Say that again,” Ren said, his voice low and serious.

“I said there’s no way any part of me would want to look like that,” Sae repeated slowly.

“No, no, I heard that, the next part,” Ren said, his voice oddly strained.

“I said that dress was from years ago,” Sae said, confused. “It was from a formal event at my university.”

Ren whispered something to himself that sounded suspiciously like ‘it’s real,’ but spoke up again quickly before Sae could be sure.

“So do you still have this dress, or…” Ren asked in a slightly off voice.

“I’m sure I do somewhere,” Sae shrugged, “but is that really what’s important right now?”

Ren looked as if he wanted to argue, but instead took a deep breath and continued, spelling out the phantom thieves journey through her palace. And Sae was forced to listen as he described with near giddiness just how suggestive her shadow could be. The implications behind the flirtatious banter Ren had with her shadow was enough to turn her cheeks a bright shade of red.

“Stop,” Sae bit out after a while, “I get it, you flirted with my shadow. If you’re trying to embarrass me, congratulations, you’ve succeeded. Now kindly move on with the story.”

“I would never stoop so low,” Ren gasped out in mock outrage that Sae didn’t believe for a second, “everything I tell you is simply necessary for the story.”

“Careful,” Sae said through gritted teeth.

“Do you think your subconscious was trying to tell you something?” Ren asked, missing the imminent danger he was putting himself in. “Are you repressing something?”

“I have a gun,” Sae said, tapping the weapon she had holstered under her left arm, “and hardly anyone knows you’re here. It would be a shame if something happened, you were doing so well before this.”

“You know, it’s really not that funny,” Ren’s demeanor rapidly turned serious, “I don’t know why I’m even talking about this, we have to finish this story.”

Sae nodded, placated, and he continued. He told her about the rest of the palace, the way she tried to cheat to win and how the phantom thieves overcame every roadblock. She listened as he described the way they’d fought her shadow, how it had transformed into a giant monster and how they’d eventually subdued it. It all felt vaguely familiar, like it was a strange dream that she couldn’t quite remember. When she tried to think about it, it simply drifted away.

“And then you and Makoto spoke for a bit. She encouraged you, and you seemed grateful for it. Then you faded away.”

Sae stared at the shaggy-haired teenager across from her for a long while. She allowed the entirety of his story, especially the part about her own palace, to run through her mind. She did believe him, and she wasn’t entirely sure why. Then a thought hit her.

“What was my treasure?” Sae asked, and Ren shrugged.

“Not sure,” Ren said apologetically, “it was a steel briefcase in the metaverse, but we switched it with a fake so we never got to see if it was something different in the real world.”

“That’s right,” Sae snapped her fingers, “you didn’t take my treasure, why not? That means I still have a palace.”

“Maybe,” Ren said evasively, “but I don’t think your palace will last much longer. You weren’t so far gone that you couldn’t come back. We wanted to give you that chance.”

A lump caught in Sae’s throat. She was not the type to be beholden to anyone. She had made it where she was in life without the help of anyone. Still, the weight of what the phantom thieves had been willing to risk just to give her a chance to overcome her distorted way of thinking was heavy.

“Thank you,” Sae nodded, a hitch in her voice, “I appreciate what you’ve done.”

“I think that means I win our little bet,” Ren said with a smile.

“What do you need me to do?” Sae said solemnly. She would do what she could to help the phantom thieves. To help her sister. To help Ren.

The plan was surprisingly simple, if incredibly risky. Bring Ren’s phone close to Akechi, hide until the detective prince had left, then return and sneak Ren out of the police station. But she’d made her decision and she left with a resolute nod, vowing to find Akechi and see this through.

Sae didn’t know if it was luck or some strange twist of fate, but as she left the interrogation room, there was Akechi walking towards her.

“Hello Sae,” he said with a smile that Sae could now see never reached his eyes. She wondered how she could ever have been fooled by him. He’d seemed so harmless, so earnest.

“Akechi?” She asked with fake incredulity. “What are you doing here?”

“Same reason you are, I presume,” Akechi said with another fake smile, “to interrogate the suspect.”

If Sae had any doubts about Ren’s story, this would have proved it to her. There was no way Akechi would have permission to interrogate the most wanted criminal in Japan. But Sae kept her face carefully composed into one of acceptance.

“Fine,” Sae said with a nod, “good luck, I couldn’t get anything out of him.”

“Thank you,” Akechi said warmly, and Sae fought the urge to recoil. She settled for placing her hand on Ren’s phone, safe in her purse, and believing in him. There was moment where Akechi winced as if his head was hurting and Sae felt her breath catch in her throat. But then it was over and he was smiling again, saying his goodbyes.

She left quickly after that, not wanting to stick around in case Akechi began to suspect her. She left the police station quickly, blending into the sparse crowds still milling about, and she waited. Soon enough, Akechi strolled out of the police station looking unbelievably pleased with himself and Sae felt the icy grip of doubt grow in her. She forced herself to breathe deeply, waiting nearly ten minutes before she made her way back inside.

She made her way back down to the interrogation room as quickly as she could, trying her best to look as inconspicuous as possible. The guards were gone. Akechi must have dealt with them. Her hand slipped as she reached for the door handle, but she grabbed it on the second try and pushed the door open quickly.

Ren was sitting there calmly, looking back at her unharmed.

“Did you miss me?” He said with a tired smile. It was clear the drugs were starting to affect him as he stood, swaying slightly. She hurried towards him, catching him as he started to sag. She hadn’t realized how tall he was as she helped him towards the door. He had a few inches on her, even in her heels.

“Of course I did,” Sae said soothingly, “now let’s get you out of here.”

Sae was infinitely grateful that she’d left her car here, and that the parking garage would allow them to avoid the lobby. Ren was fading fast, mumbling to himself as he struggled to keep upright. Sae didn’t blame him after all he’d been through. The beating and the drugs were catching up to him though, and the sooner she got him to her car the better.

They saw no one as they exited the elevator into the parking garage, and she hurried over to her sleek silver sedan. She hardly drove it, it was more a status symbol than anything. She had a parking spot, so she needed a car to park in it. She was grateful now for her foolish pride. She slide Ren into the back seat, pulling a blanket she kept in her backseat over him.

“Taking me to bed already,” Ren mumbled, “you’re so forward.”

Sae rolled her eyes and fought the urge to laugh. The boy was practically hitting on her in his sleep. It was endearing in a way, he was nothing if not determined.

“You need to keep quiet until we’re out of here,” Sae said as she slid into the driver’s seat. “We’ll be at Leblanc soon enough. Does Sojiro know you’re coming?”

He mumbled something that sounded like an affirmative before he drifted back into silence. What followed was the most tense drive of her life. Ren was either asleep or in too much discomfort to speak, and so she was left with nothing but her thoughts.

She would need Sojiro’s help getting him inside, and she was not relishing the thought of that confrontation. The last time they’d spoke, she’d threatened the cafe owner, but it couldn’t be helped. It was time to face the music for her mistakes these past few months. She’d have to head home after that. It was important no one saw her loitering around Yongen-Jaya tonight. She suspected Makoto would be waiting for her, desperate for answers about her friend’s well-being. And Sae would get to be there for her for the first time in a long while. That would be another hard conversation, and then she’d have to go to work tomorrow and pretend that nothing was wrong.

The traffic thinned out as she made her way through the relatively calm streets of Yongen-Jaya. As she pulled up to the alley where Leblanc was located, she gently put her arm back to gently shake her passenger.

“We’re here,” Sae said gently, wincing as the boy let out a groan of discomfort. “I know, but you’re almost there, just have to get inside.”

He looked at her then, his face warped into a grimace of pain. It was raw, full of emotion. Sae knew without a doubt that he rarely let himself be this vulnerable with anyone. They were alike in that way: the mask of competence and confidence he wore was as important to him as hers was. She felt like she understood him better than ever in that moment.

He pulled himself upright slowly, his head lolling back to rest against the seat as he took deep, ragged breaths. Sae hurried out of the car and opened the door for him. He gave her a sidelong glance, a grim look on his face.

“Come on,” she said with an encouraging smile that did not reach her eyes. Her worry must have been evident on her face because he gave her lopsided smile.

“I can’t say I hate having you looking after me,” Ren choked out a small laugh, “are you going to tuck me into bed as well?”

“You’re incorrigible,” Sae griped without any real anger as she helped him to his feet, throwing one of his arms over her shoulder and trying to support his weight. “I hope you don’t flirt like this with Makoto.”

“Nope, only you,” Ren said honestly.

Sae had no idea how to respond to that. Luckily she didn’t have to as the door to Leblanc was close. A light was still shining out from the door, and she desperately hoped it was just Sojiro waiting for them.

The bell above the door rang as they stumbled inside. Sojiro looked up from his seat at the counter and gasped, the newspaper falling from his hands as he rushed towards them.

“Christ kid, you look terrible. Let’s get you upstairs,” Sojiro said quickly, throwing Ren’s other arm over his shoulder. They half carried, half dragged the boy up the narrow stairwell and sat him as gently as they could on a futon at the far end of the room. Ren was a bit more awake now, his jaw clenched in obvious discomfort.

“Heh, you don’t have to act so cool just because there’s a lady present,” Sojiro said with a wry smile, “we all know how tough you are.”

Ren and his guardian shared a look and Ren gave the man a small smile. Sae turned to Sojiro.

“Ren said he had a doctor?” Sae ventured, “someone familiar with his… activities, can you get her?”

“Right, I’ll go Tae,” Sojiro nodded before giving her a sharp look, “keep him safe until I get back.”

The implied or else was obvious. But Sae only nodded. The man had plenty of reasons not to trust her.

Ren began to struggle out of his clothes, but he couldn’t seem to lift his shoulders enough to remove the blazer. Sae reached to help him, pulling it off without a word. Ren set to work on the turtleneck he wore underneath, but couldn’t seem to get his arms to work the way he wanted and gave up, dropping his hands back into his lap. His look of frustration was almost cute and Sae fought the urge to laugh.

“Would you like some help,” Sae said flatly, a smile playing at her lips. It was so strange to see him looking so human after he’d regaled her for so long earlier about all of his accomplishments. She found it strangely endearing.

“Please,” Ren said, looking away in embarrassment. Sae’s heart melted a bit and she gave him a real smile.

As she pulled the turtleneck over his head from the back and down his arms, her smile dropped. His stomach was laced with bruises, a particularly nasty one along his side probably meant a broken rib. Removing his shirt had broken a few of the cuts open and blood began to drip down his chest and stomach. Sae leaned in to dab at them with the wadded up shirt in her hand. It was ruined now, a bit more blood wouldn’t hurt it.

She was furious. Doing this to a teenager was simply unforgivable. The tiny voice in her head that said she’d have been willing to do the same to coerce a confession in a case like this was promptly crushed, fading away never to return. Her face must have betrayed some of her emotion because Ren lightly touched her shoulder. She looked up at him, realizing now just how close they were.

“Hey,” he said softly, “it’s alright.”

It wasn’t, and they both knew it wasn’t, but his words were still oddly comforting.

“It’s all over now, and we’re gonna be ok.”

Sae wasn’t entirely sure if he was referring to the phantom thieves or her and him, all she could focus on was just how close their faces were to each other. She was looking deep into his gray eyes, full of relief and happiness and something a little darker that Sae couldn’t identify but found strangely appealing. And just when she was about to do… something, she wasn’t sure what, the sound of a throat clearing came from behind her.

“Ahem,” the voice of a woman could be heard and Sae turned her head. A woman about her own age dressed like she belonged at a concert but wearing a doctor’s coat and holding a bag stood at the top of the stairs, Sojiro right behind her.

“I was just trying to stop the bleeding,” Sae said solidly, realizing belatedly that she was basically kneeling between the legs of a teenage boy with no shirt on. She purposely stood slowly, her face a picture of calm indifference. She was a lawyer, she would not blush and stutter because of something as silly as a misunderstanding. Because it was definitely a misunderstanding.

“Right,” the woman said with a smirk, “well if you don’t mind, I’d like to take a look at him as well.”

“I need to leave anyway,” Sae nodded, “it won’t be good if someone recognizes my car. They injected him with something to make him talk, sodium thiopental if I had to guess though I’m not sure. I assume it was higher than the recommended dose.”

The doctor looked frustrated as she approached the teen and began to examine his bruised body, Sae stepped back, knowing her role in the evening was ending. But as she walked towards the stairs, she heard Ren’s voice call out to her.

“Sae, don’t tell Makoto about all this,” he gestured to his body and the bruises on it, “I don’t want the others to worry. And thank you.”

Sae gave him a tight smile and a reassuring nod before she headed down the stairs. Part of her wished to stay, to help him further. But she still had one more thing she had to handle.

As she reached her car, she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Makoto that she would be home in fifteen minutes. She did not wait for the reply as she climbed into her car and took off.

She was in a better mental state than she’d been on the way to Leblanc, and she was finally able to relax. Ren was safe, they’d made it through the day. Whatever came next they could handle. She had to laugh at how she already saw herself as part of all this. She was one of Ren’s confidants now. The boy had been right, he was quite persuasive.

Soon enough she was pulling into her parking spot at her apartment and stepping out into the cool night air. It was past midnight now, and the city was as quiet as it ever got. It was peaceful, and Sae relished it after the day she’d had. But it wasn’t to last. Makoto had texted her back during the drive, saying she was still up studying. Sae knew that was a lie but didn’t call her on it as she entered the lobby of her apartment building. The man at the front desk gave her a respectful bow as she strode past him and made her way to the elevators, but she was too distracted to give anything more than a nod of her head. 

She paused at her apartment door, worried about what lay beyond it. Her little sister had seen her at her absolute worst. Would Makoto forgive her? Could they rebuild their relationship? She chastized herself. At the very least, she could give her sister news about Ren. Everything else would come after that. She placed her key in the lock, turning it. The door opened.

Makoto was there, she had clearly come running from her room. She stood awkwardly, tense but pretending not to be. Sae could read the mixture of hope and fear in her expression.

“How was your day, sis?” Makoto asked in what she probably thought was a nonchalant voice. Sae couldn’t help but smile.

“He’s alive,” Sae barely got the words out before Makoto was in her arms, tears falling down her face.

“I’m so glad he convinced you,” Makoto sobbed, “I’ve been so worried. And I’m so sorry for lying to you all this time.”

“Hey,” Sae said sternly, “you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who needs to apologize. I let myself change into something terrible.”

Makoto squeezed her tightly around her middle, sniffing gently as Sae held her and lightly stroked her hair.

“I’m sorry I called you worthless,” Sae said quietly, “you’re the most important person in the world to me, and I’m so, so proud of you.”

Makoto pulled back to look at her then, a smile on her face and tears still in her eyes. Sae would not have traded that moment for anything in the world, and she silently thanked Ren for his role in it.

A half hour later they were seated on the couch, huddled under a shared blanket as Sae listened to Makoto recount the last few months from her point of view. It had been so long since they’d been this close to each other. Sae was enjoying the second perspective immensely.

“So wait,” Sae laughed, “none of you knows all the jobs Ren works?”

“Honestly no,” Makoto shrugged, “we’ll just be out shopping and see him working at a flower shop or a convenience store. Ryuji swears he works at a cross-dressing bar in Shinjuku but no one really believes him.”

Sae laughed again and her sister kept talking. Makoto’s version of the story, complete with the actual names of all the people involved, made the whole thing seem less like a set of well-executed heists and more like a group of teenagers stumbling blindly from one crazy situation to the next. Sae suspected this was much closer to the truth, and she liked this version better.

“Did Ren tell you about your palace,” Makoto asked delicately once they’d reached that point in the story.

“He did,” Sae nodded, “we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“No, we should,” Makoto said in a small voice, “it was really hard to see you like that.”

Sae didn’t have a good response, so instead she just pulled her sister closer.

“Seeing you so angry and upset, telling us all the things you were willing to do to get a confession, I was so worried I’d lost my sister forever,” Makoto admitted quietly.

“Ren didn’t mention much of that,” Sae admitted.

“Oh I’ll bet he didn’t,” Makoto said darkly, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment, “I’ll bet I know just what he focused on.”

“He did describe my shadow in detail,” Sae said with a smile. It was funny in hindsight, the emphasis he’d placed on her shadow’s appearance while glossing over the more unappealing parts.

“Of course,” Makoto groaned, “he and Ryuji would not shut up about that stupid dress.”

“If I’d have known it would cause so much trouble, I never would have bought the thing,” Sae admitted with a shrug.

“Wait, it’s an actual dress that you own?” Makoto gasped. “Sis, how could you even wear something like that?”

“It was for a college party,” Sae defended lightly, “I’m allowed to look good if I want.”

“Please tell me Ren doesn’t know about it,” Makoto begged.

“Sorry,” Sae gave an apologetic smile, “I didn’t know I needed to keep it a secret.”

“There’ll be no dealing with him after this,” Makoto sighed, “he’s going to make it his mission to talk about it every time we all get together just to embarrass me.”

“So you’re saying I shouldn’t dig it out and wear it to Leblanc,” Sae teased and her sister shot her a scandalized look.

“You absolutely can not,” Makoto said crossly, “the boys in our group are already idiots and the last thing we need is a distracted leader.”

For some reason distracting Ren didn’t sound half bad to Sae. He was always so cool and confident, taking him down a peg was sure to be very entertaining. She filed that away for later. For now, she just enjoyed the camaraderie that she and her sister had sorely lacked for a long time.

It was a long time before they went to bed that night, but when they finally did, Sae slept more fitfully than she had in a long time. She was confident that today had been the hardest hurdle the phantom thieves would have to overcome. Two months later she would look back on that thought and laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have two ideas for how this story will go. One uses the vanilla ending, one uses the Persona 5 Royal ending with the third semester. Let me know in the comments if you have an opinion on which you'd find more interesting.


	3. Let the Games Begin (Part 1)

Tae Takemi held the resonator of her stethoscope to her guinea pigs chest while he sat shirtless on his futon. His breathing was labored, as expected from someone with the sort of bruising he had. She had been shocked to see him the night before, strung out on some sort of drug and barely conscious. Fortunately, most of the damage had been superficial. He had a badly bruised rib and required a few stitches for some of the larger cuts, but he’d be back on his feet in a few weeks time. That meant she could start teasing him.

“So,” she said smirking, and she could practically feel him tense up, “want to tell me about your new girlfriend.”

“What do you mean?” Ren asked innocently, not meeting her eyes.

“Seriously?” Tae asked incredulously, “I can literally hear your heart rate increase.”

She waved the end of her stethoscope in his face and he sighed. She laughed at him as she put the stethoscope back in her bag.

“Isn’t she a little old for you?” Tae teased, “should I be jealous?”

“Hey,” Ren said indignantly, “every time I hit on you, you shoot me down.”

“I would eat you alive, guinea pig,” Tae laughed again, “I just like teasing you.”

They fell into comfortable silence as Tae continued her exam. She’d grown rather fond of the teenager that had wandered into her clinic all those months ago, so nervous he was almost shaking. Seeing him now, so sure of himself and aware of the weight on his shoulders, she felt proud.

“So are you gonna ask her out?” Tae needled and Ren shrugged.

“That’s not the sort of cowardice I’d expect from the leader of the phantom thieves,” Tae said pointedly.

“I’m sure she has her pick of guys that are interested in her,” Ren shrugged, “Why would she want to date a high schooler?”

“You’re very mature for your age,” Tae said, smiling, “besides, you’ll never know if you don’t ask.”

“How would I even do that?” Ren said, exasperated, “just call her up and say hey, want to grab some ramen after I’m done with school for the day? That just sounds stupid.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be dead right now, so you won’t be going to school,” Tae pointed out. She hadn’t received the full story last night from Sojiro, but she knew enough that Ren’s existence at the moment was a secret. “So just invite her here. See if you can pick up where the two of you left off last night before I interrupted you.”

“Hilarious,” Ren said sarcastically, “I already told you, she was just helping me get my shirt off.”

“Exactly,” Tae smiled, “so just see if she’ll help you get your pants off too next time.”

“Why are you encouraging this?” Ren pointed out, “I’m a minor, shouldn’t you, like, tell me how stupid I’m being?”

“I sell prescription medicine to Japan’s most wanted criminals, I’m hardly the person to lecture you about morals,” Tae replied drily.

“Point taken,” Ren said, “but I need to know if she feels the same before I make a move.”

“The only way you’ll know for sure is if you get her to ask you out instead,” Tae said flippantly, “I don’t think even you are capable of that.”

The dark smile that grew on Ren’s face did not bode well for a certain silver-haired woman, Tae thought.

* * *

Makoto had informed the group late the night before that their plan had been successful. The news had broken sometime around noon that the leader of the phantom thieves had been arrested and had subsequently killed himself while in custody. That was their cue to meet at Leblanc that afternoon.

Ann was the first to arrive, her bright voice audible even from Ren’s spot on his futon in the attic. She came bounding up the stairs, as bright and happy as the sun. Ren could see the moment they dimmed as she took in the sight of his bruised face. Fortunately he was wearing a shirt that covered up the worst of them. But her smile returned quickly and Ren was grateful that she seemed to recognize.

“So,” Ann asked, “how was your date with the prosecutor?”

“I was in police custody,” Ren pointed out.

“Sounds like your kind of date,” Ann replied cheerfully, “were you handcuffed?”

“Not this time,” Ren smiled softly. Teasing was good, it was far better than talking about his feelings. He wasn’t comfortable baring his soul like he’d done to Tae this morning.

“Pity,” Ann gave him an exaggerated frown, “guess you’re not as persuasive as you thought.”

“Funny,” Ren said flatly, “I thought you were against the idea of me and Sae together.”

“I was against it when I thought it was a distraction,” Ann shrugged, “I thought you were going to do something stupid and get yourself killed in that interrogation room. Now that you’re out, I’m all for it.”

“Really?” Ren asked suspiciously.

“Of course,” Ann said happily, “you deserve to be happy, even if you’re stupid.”

“I’m touched,” Ren rolled his eyes.

“You should be happy to have anyone on your side in this,” Ann pointed out, “because you’ve got to convince two separate Niijima sisters that a public prosecutor should be in an illegal relationship with a teenage criminal. And I’m pretty sure Makoto is the less stubborn one.”

“That is… a very good point,” Ren admitted, “I hadn’t really thought of it that way.”

Not for the first time, Ren thought deep about the implications of his little crush. There would be other girls he’d be interested in, ones that were his age. It wouldn’t be that hard to forget about the silver-haired prosecutor. But even as he thought it he knew it was a lie. And besides, he was done taking things as they come. He was going to go after what he wanted.

“So do you think you can do it?” Ann asked, sitting on the couch across from Ren’s futon and giving him a searching look.

Ren thought about it for a long moment. It wouldn’t be easy. He wasn’t even sure Sae saw him as a romantic possibility. He shook his head. Even without the mask and coat, he was Joker. And Joker could do anything.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ren gave Ann his cockiest smile, “she’ll be mine before you know it.”

“Pig,” Ann rolled her eyes at her friend.

“Thanks,” Ren said in a kinder voice.

“No problem,” Ann smiled right back all the brighter.

* * *

Sae walked briskly along the streets of Yongen-Jaya in the early afternoon. She was taking a roundabout way to Leblanc just in case she was being tailed, but it was most likely unnecessary.

Work had been interesting today to say the least. Her director had been out with a supposed illness, and she had been told to take the afternoon off in celebration of the arrest of the leader of the phantom thieves. The fact that no one knew any more about the situation made Sae think that whoever was pulling the strings from above was certain they’d succeeded, and was anxious for everyone to move on. Sae took it as a blessing in disguise.

Getting the afternoon off worked out well, as Makoto had told her the phantom thieves would be meeting at Leblanc. It would give Sae a chance to thank them in person and advise them on their next steps. They’d made powerful enemies; hopefully Sae’s experience in the judicial system could help keep them safe. She suspected Ren’s death was a lie that would not hold for very long.

She had spent a great deal of time thinking about Ren since she’d left him yesterday. She felt a sense of kinship with him. She’d become strangely fond of the teenager, even in such a short time. Often during the day she had found her mind wandering to their conversations in the interrogation room, to the banter they’d exchanged.

As she approached the entrance to Leblanc, checking both directions quickly and spying no one, she pushed the door open, the closed sign ignored, and entered into the busy cafe.

It was a pity the place was never this filled with paying customers, Sae thoughts idly as the gang of teenagers all turned to look at her, their conversations fading into awkward silence. Sae could practically feel the tension coming off of a few of them.

“Hello everyone,” Sae said with as welcoming a smile as she could muster given the situation.

“Sis,” Makoto called out as she hurried over from her spot in the booth. Sae relaxed as her sister hugged her briefly.

“Everyone, this is my sister Sae,” Makoto said to the group.

It was silly, since everyone here already knew who she was from their time in her palace. Still, it was enough to break the tension. Sae could see some of the teens visibly relax. Ren was sitting in the booth staring at her, smirking slightly. Sae could almost feel the young man enjoying her discomfort.

“Thank you all for your help,” Sae said. Straight and to the point, that was best. “I appreciate what you went through on my behalf.”

“Don’t worry about it,” a loud blond boy she recognized as Ryuji, “I’m just glad you got our leader back safe and sound.”

Before Sae could respond, the skinny one, Yusuke she remembered, was nearly in her face, framing her with his hands, one eye closed.

“Can I help you,” Sae asked politely, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

“I am comparing your current appearance to that of your shadow,” Yusuke said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “It is quite the compelling contrast, would you be willing to pose for me?”

“Oh my god Inari,” the redhead Sae recognizes as Futaba called from her seat at the counter, “you can’t just say things like that!”

“We talked about not asking people to pose for you,” the other blonde asked from her spot next to Ren in the booth. That would be Ann. Sae idly wondered if they were just friends or something more, then wondered why that had been her first thought.

“That isn’t true,” the artist pointed out, still framing her between a square he’d made with his fingers. “You told me not to ask people to pose nude for me, which I didn’t. Unless you’d be amenable to it, Ms. Niijima?”

Sae fixed him with her grimmest of stares, but the boy seemed unaffected by it, staring back at her blankly.

“You don’t speak to a lot of women, do you?” Sae asked, and Makoto sighed beside her.

“Sorry sis,” Makoto apologized, “that’s just Yusuke, he doesn’t mean anything by it.”

“It’s fine,” Sae said dismissively, “it’s not the worst I’ve heard.”

Sae could vaguely hear Ren snort from across the cafe. She entered the cafe further, brought in to the group of thieves proper. As she approached Ren’s seat, she noticed the blonde girl next to him studying her rather intently.

“How are you feeling?” Sae asked Ren kindly.

“Better,” Ren smiled back at her. Sae could see the bags under his eyes that were evidence of a poor night’s sleep, but he didn’t look half dead, so Sae agreed with his assessment.

“Good,” Sae nodded as she turned towards the cafe’s counter. Ann’s focus on her had only intensified as she’d been speaking to Ren. Sae turned to walk towards the cafe’s counter, taking a seat in front of the proprietor.

“Coffee?” Sojiro asked, somewhat gruffly.

“Please,” she nodded.

Sojiro began his work and the conversations in the cafe grew in volume. Looking at them like this, it was plain to see how close the thieves were. They were like a family, arguing and laughing together. It was heartwarming, and Sae smiled fondly.

“It’s a pretty special group,” Sojiro said gruffly as he placed a cup and saucer in front of her.

“It is,” Sae agreed, “I’m sorry for my part in trying to stop them.”

The underlying apology to Sojiro went unsaid, and Sojiro shrugged.

“All’s well that ends well,” Sojiro said, and Sae took it as acceptance of her presence in the group. “Thanks for what you did with the kid.”

“Of course,” Sae said fondly, “I couldn’t let anything happen to him.”

“Oh?” Sojiro said with a smile that was strangely familiar, “you know, the kid’s awfully fond of you.”

“I did save his life,” Sae pointed out, “he’s bound to be grateful.”

“True, but he’s been talking about you a lot these past few weeks,” Sojiro pointed out with a smile.

“Sure,” Sae said sarcastically, “no doubt about how I was trying to kill him and his friends.”

“That too,” Sojiro chuckled, leaving it at that.

They turned back to watch the teenagers talking loudly amongst themselves. Ryuji appeared to be arguing with a cat, Haru giggling at them from the side. Ann and Makoto had moved to hold the boy and the cat back from each other. Sae got the impression this was a normal occurrence.

Ren slid into the adjacent seat at the bartop. He was holding a sketchbook.

“Here,” he said, “Yusuke’s been working on these recently. They’re sketches of the metaverse, I thought you’d appreciate seeing some of it.”

Sae took it slowly, flipping open the cover. A pencil-sketch of a face split apart, each one in a picture frame, stared back at her. It was disturbing to say the least.

“This is… Madarame’s shadow?” Sae asked, and Ren nodded.

Sae flipped through the pages slowly, taking in the images slowly. There were strange landscapes, shadows, and distorted forms of human beings that she vaguely recognized from Ren’s story. As she reached the final page, she couldn’t help but gasp.

She struck quite the figure, chest and legs bare in a dress she’d barely dared to wear at nineteen. Heavy makeup highlighting her golden eyes and a cruel smile stared back at her. She hardly wore makeup at all, much less the heavy application in this picture. She made quite the villain.

“It’s strange to see myself like this,” Sae admitted to Ren.

“It was a little unexpected on our end as well,” Ren chuckled.

“I haven’t seen this dress in five years,” Sae admitted, “I’d forgotten just how revealing it was.”

“It was a little intimidating,” Ren said easily, “ but I managed.”

“I’m sure you did, if your little story was anything to go on,” Sae said flatly. She had not forgotten Ren’s recounting of the flirtatious banter between the two of them.

“Still,” she continued, “I don’t suppose you’ll have to worry about seeing me like this ever again.”

“I hope that’s not the case,” Ren said quietly, just loud enough for her to hear, “you said you still have it, right?”

“I’m hardly nineteen anymore,” Sae waved him off, “I doubt I could pull it off. And besides, I’m a public prosecutor, where the hell would I even wear something like this.”

“Okay, first, I have irrefutable proof that you can pull this dress off,” Ren said, tapping the drawing in front of her, “second, who knows, maybe you could wear it on a date if you really wanted to knock the guy out.”

“Why Ren,” Sae said with a smirk, “a high-schooler asking a public prosecutor out on a date? How inappropriate.”

“I would never,” Ren said, aghast, “it just wouldn’t be right, no matter how amazing it would be.”

“Amazing, huh?” Sae asked with a smile, “you’ve got quite the confidence in yourself, don’t you.”

“I do,” Ren said smoothly, “I really, really do.”

“I think I’m a bit out of your league,” Sae said with a too-sweet smile, “not to mention out of your age bracket.”

“Eh,” Ren said dismissively, “I’m seventeen, you’re, what, twenty-four? That’s hardly an impossible gap. But like I said, it just can’t happen no matter how much you want it to.”

“You’re shameless,” Sae shook her head, “and that cockiness is going to catch up to you someday.”

“Maybe you’ll be the one to break me of it,” Ren shrugged, and Sae fought the urge to blush at all the possibilities his vague statement had brought forth in her mind.

“Don’t you have more important things to do than think about at the moment,” Sae said instead, “a criminal conspiracy, perhaps?”

“Maybe,” Ren said with a nod, “but I made a decision recently. I’m not just going to let things be decided for me anymore, I’m going after what I want.”

The implication that she was what he wanted went unsaid but not unnoticed. Sae blushed slightly, and if Ren’s growing smirk was anything to go by, he’d seen his effect on her.

“I think you’ll have to do a bit better than outrageous flirting if you want me to take an interest in you,” Sae said instead, fighting to regain her footing in a conversation that had suddenly become very dangerous.

“Oh, I intend to,” Ren said, smiling brightly, “I don’t do things halfway.”

“You’re welcome to try,” Sae shook her head, “no guarantee you’ll be successful.”

“Sounds a bit like a game, prosecutor,” Ren said in a low voice, “would you care to make a wager?”

“What are the terms?” Sae shot back, smirking. She was eager to beat the cocky brat, especially after he’d won their last bet.

“Whoever asks the other out loses,” Ren said, “If I win, you wear that dress on our first date.”

“If I win,” Sae said smugly, “you have to tell all your friends that you asked me out and I turned you down. And Makoto gets to record it for me.”

“That’s assuming you’d actually turn me down,” Ren pointed out and Sae shrugged.

“Guess you’ll have to ask me out to find out, want to risk it?” Sae said with a smile, and Ren laughed.

“What are you two talking about,” her sister asked, leaning her head in between them. Sae hadn’t even heard her approach, and got the strange feeling that her sister was trying to parent her.

“Just showing your sister a few of Yusuke’s sketches,” Ren said easily, “I figured it would help to put pictures to the story.”

“Hmm,” Makoto said, “Well, everyone’s here now, should we start talking about our next move?”

Sae was amused with her sister’s obvious attempts to end her conversation with Ren, no doubt due to jealousy or protectiveness. It was nice, to have her sister looking out for her after all this time. Still, it was time to get to work, and Sae was ready to offer any help she could. Thoughts of how to make a certain teenager beg her for a date would need to wait for later.

* * *

A few days later found Ren sitting at a booth in Leblanc, textbooks in front of him and Makoto across. The student council president had sworn he would not fall behind while he was playing dead, and had taken him on as a personal project. Which meant that he had to do homework while he recovered and prepared to tackle Shido’s palace.

“So you just take the integral of this,” Makoto was droning on, much to Ren’s chagrin.

“Mmhmm,” Ren mumbled as he absentmindedly spun a pen in his hand. Suddenly, it was snatched from him.

“Are you even paying attention?” Makoto asked, pointing his own pen back at him accusingly.

“Hey, do you think I could get your sister’s number?” Ren asked suddenly.

Makoto’s eyes widened in shock momentarily, then narrowed.

“Why?” Makoto asked suspiciously.

“Just in case I need to contact her, share information for her case or whatever,” Ren said dismissively.

“You can just send it to me instead, I can pass it on,” Makoto said smugly.

“I guess, but that just seems tedious,” Ren said, picking at a piece of lint on the sleeve of his arm.

“Tell you what,” Makoto sighed, “you give me your entire focus for the next hour and it’s yours.”

“Really?” Ren said, sitting up slightly.

“Really,” Makoto said with a deadpan look.

What followed was the most effective hour of Ren’s entire academic career. At the end, Makoto begrudgingly gave him her sister’s number, ignoring his smug smile.

* * *

A knock on her office door forced Sae to look up from her laptop, and she grimaced. One of the assistants whose name Sae hadn’t learned was struggling to see her behind a truly ostentatious flower arrangement. It was the fifth day in a row she’d received a bloated mass of flowers, each larger than the last, much to the amusement of her male coworkers.

They’d had so many questions the first day when two dozen red roses had been delivered from an anonymous admirer that who she knew only too well. The implication behind their questions was clear: maybe she could finally settle down and start a family. The women of the office, mostly secretaries and assistants, had not seen the insult in their comments, and had tittered like schoolgirls about who might be interested in her, the note marked only with a large capital ‘J’. Sae had grown so fed up with it that she had thrown the flowers in the trash. A part of her felt guilty. Ren was trying, however hamfistedly, and there was no way he’d know that flowers weren’t something she enjoyed. Then they’d kept coming, day after day, and Sae began to doubt the sincerity of his gift.

“Just put them somewhere else,” Sae waved the assistant away, “toss them if no one wants them.”

“Miss Niijima,” the woman said in a mildly disapproving tonel, “you shouldn’t toss someone’s efforts away so casually.”

Sae snorted. The idea that she had to entertain someone’s advances just because they made them was laughable. She had never believed that, much to the chagrin of her few female friends.  
As the woman left, taking the flowers with her, Sae felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out and saw a message from a number she did not recognize.

_Have you been receiving my gifts?_

Sae fought the urge to roll her eyes. Ren had found her number, no doubt by weedling it out of Makoto. She replied back quickly.

_Are you trying to woo me or piss me off?_

_I’m hurt_ , Ren texted back, _Can’t it be both?_

 _No_ , Sae replied quickly.

_How are your coworkers taking it? This can stop anytime you know._

Sae could practically see him smirking smugly back at her. She fired back quickly.

_They want me to fall into your arms, obviously. Are you seriously attacking me with flowers and trying to browbeat me into losing our bet?_

_All’s fair in love in war_ , the reply came back almost immediately.

Sae thought for a long moment. He was clearly winning their little game, and Sae desperately wanted to knock him off his high horse. An idea formed in her mind and she smirked, fingers typing away.

_If you’re going to waste all this money, at least buy me something I can use._

_Oh? What do you have in mind?_ Ren replied, and Sae’s smile grew.

 _Something practical, something I use everyday. Lingerie maybe?_ Sae sent back.

If the idea of her wearing lingerie under her suits wasn’t enough to shake him, nothing would. And besides, if he wanted to call her on it, he’d have to go pick something out at a lingerie store. There was no way a high school boy would be allowed in a store like that.

 _Guess you’ll need to give me your measurements then_ , Ren responded after a bit. If he was trying to call her bluff, he would be sorely disappointed. She sent them to him with hardly a moment’s pause.

 _I hope you like what I pick_ , he responded and Sae scoffed. She’d believe him when his 'pick' was in her hands.

* * *

Ren stared at his phone, face bright red in embarrassment. He was glad for the barrier that texting provided. The unforeseen turn their talk had taken was almost more than he could handle. Now it was time to figure out how to make good on his claim that he’d be sending an adult woman lingerie at her office.

He had a healthy appreciation for the opposite sex but he wasn’t some sort of pervert. What sort of high schooler had any idea what to buy a woman like Sae? And it’s not like he could just walk into some specialty store and ask for their help, he was supposed to be dead! And it’s not like they’d let him in anyway.

Department stores had lingerie didn’t they? But Ren cast the thought aside. He was going for shock and awe, and that meant high-end boutique or nothing. He thought about it for a moment before snapping his fingers and grabbing his phone.

“Hello?” Ann asked after he’d dialed her number.

“Ann, I need your help,” Ren rushed out, “how familiar are you with lingerie?”

“...Ren,” Ann said tightly, “you’d better explain yourself in the next five seconds or I’m hanging up and calling the police on you myself.”

“It’s for Sae,” Ren said.

“I don’t know if you think that’s a good enough explanation, but it’s not.”

“It’s a thing we’ve got going on,” Ren explained, “it’ll make sense when you come over.”

“Fine,” Ann sighed, “I’m on my way.”

* * *

Twenty-four hours later, nearly to the minute, a secretary was nervously knocking on Sae’s office door and passing off a black box wrapped in red lace with the name of a very high-end lingerie store written across the front. Her phone vibrated and she pulled it out.

 _I hope this gift is a little closer to your tastes_ , it read and Sae fought the urge to groan. If the gossip about the flowers was bad, this would be a hundred times worse.

 _How did you pull this off?_ Sae sent back.

 _I had a friend pick it up_ , he replied.

_I didn’t realize that was allowed._

_Like I said, all’s fair in love and war_ , Ren sent back cheekily.

Sae left it at that for a moment, untying the ribbon and removing the lid of the box instead. What was inside was certainly lingerie. It was tiny, all jet black with some gold accents that Sae knew was strangely reminiscent of her shadow. She hurriedly put the lid back on, as the last thing she needed was one of the other prosecutors to walk by and see her examining it. She picked up her phone again.

 _You’re playing with fire_ , she sent back with a shake of her head.

 _Some burns are worth it_ , he replied quickly, and Sae had to smile.

 _You may have won the battle, but you won’t win the war_ , Sae sent back. It was time she took this little game seriously.

Clearly she needed some information if she was going to put this cocky boy in his place, and she knew just who to call. She scrolled through her contacts and put her phone to her ear.

“Makoto?” Sae said, “I need your help with something. How would you like to help me wipe the cocky smile off your leader’s face?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a harder one for me, I couldn't quite figure out which direction I wanted to go in. My first few drafts came out as very boring romance stuff, them admitting their feelings to each other, becoming a couple, etc. But the fun part about Sae is she's not the type to just throw herself at anybody that's interested in her. Besides, Ren and Sae trying to 'win' against each other is what's interesting to read. Hopefully you agree and hopefully this chapter fits that idea. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment. I'm open to your ideas and I enjoy the feedback!


	4. Let the Games Begin (Part 2)

“So let me get this straight,” Makoto said slowly, “you want me to help you seduce Ren into asking you out?”

“More or less, yes,” Sae nodded.

“...why?” Makoto asked.

“You understood the bet, right?” Sae asked.

“No, I get it, but why go to all this trouble? If you and Ren are interested in each other, why not just talk about it?”

“I forget sometimes how young you are,” Sae said fondly, “the chase is half the fun.”

“I’m eighteen,” Makoto said defensively, “and don’t pretend I’m the weird one here, what’s wrong with a normal, honest relationship?”

“It’s a little boring to be honest,” Sae laughed, “once you’re a little older, you may feel differently.”

“Ren’s younger than I am,” Makoto pointed out, “or had you forgotten.”

“Are you saying your older sister doesn’t deserve a younger man?” Sae teased.

“Gross,” Makoto wrinkles her nose, “that’s my friend you’re talking about. I don’t even want to think about you and him together.”

“So you’re not going to help me?” Sae said with a frown.

“Fine, just keep the gross stuff to yourself. I’m not sure how much help I’m going to be though, it’s not like I have a lot of experience with love.”

“Who said anything about love? I’m just trying to seduce him,” Sae joked.

“Ok, see, that’s the kind of stuff I don’t want to hear.”

“Sorry,” Sae smiled, “don’t think of it like that then, think of it like one of your palace infiltrations. You’re the team strategist aren’t you? Help me strategize.”

“Alright fine,” Makoto nodded finally, “let’s figure out a plan.”

* * *

A few days later, Sae was waiting across the street from Leblanc. The sun had set, and the neighborhood was mostly quiet. The thieves had ventured into Shido’s palace again today, which meant that Ren would be calling for a certain teacher’s services.

Makoto had told her just how physically and mentally exhausting the metaverse was, so much so that the thieves were hardly able to do anything else but sleep after a trip there. How then, was Ren texting her late into the night after their previous foray into Shido’s palace? He’d even said he’d been in Shinjuku helping a friend. Makoto had spoken to Morgana, which was still hard for Sae to wrap her head around, feigning worry for their leader. Apparently, Ren was getting massages. And since he was supposed to be dead to everyone who didn’t know he was a member of the phantom thieves, that meant it was someone close to him, someone he trusted. She and Makoto had put it together fairly quickly after that.

And so Sae waited for Ren’s homeroom teacher to show up. She’d met the woman briefly last year when Makoto had been in her class. Hopefully Sae’s reputation would make it easy to convince her that she wouldn’t be needed this evening. Briefly she thought of just how ridiculous the situation was. She was going to intimidate a teacher who worked as a maid who was being paid to give her student a massage so that she, a public prosecutor, could do it instead in hopes of convincing said student to ask her out. Life was weird sometimes.

Soon enough she saw her target, walking up the alley wrapped in a dark jacket but still wearing the frilly head covering indicative of a maid. Sae stepped out to greet her.

“Hello Miss Kawakami,” Sae said evenly, and the woman practically jumped out of her skin.

“Oh! Um, I’m not sure who… I mean, I’m not..” the woman stuttered out.

“Relax,” Sae said forcefully, “breathe.”

The woman did so, and Sae gave her a reassuring smile.

“I’m sorry that you came all this way,” Sae said in a calm voice, “but I’m afraid your services are no longer required this evening.”

“I don’t understand,” Kawakami said, “how do you know what I’m here for?”

“Your client is a friend of mine, and I have some other plans for him this evening.”

“Wait,” Kawakami snapped her fingers, “you’re Makoto’s guardian aren’t you, her sister right?”

“That’s right,” Sae nodded.

“You’re not going to hurt him, are you?” Kawakami said in a quiet voice, and Sae laughed.

“Not at all,” she said, “I’m going to bruise his pride a bit, but I want nothing but the best for him.”

Kawakami looked confused for a moment before nodding.

“Alright, I guess if you know he’s here you must be in on all this. He scared me half to death when he called me last week saying he was still alive. Just, go easy on him will you? He’s had a rough time.”

“I will,” Sae nodded, and Kawakami seemed to accept it.

It was a lie of course, she would not be going easy on Ren, not at all. But she didn’t think he’d mind in the end.

As Kawakami left, Sae opened the door to Leblanc. The bell rang, but she saw no one. She shut the door quietly and locked it. The last thing she needed was Sojiro coming by to check on things.

She made her way upstairs, the steps creaking a bit as her heels made contact. She hadn’t had time to change out of her work clothes.

As she reached the landing, she could see him across the way, lying face down on his futon. Morgan was nowhere to be seen, which Sae was grateful for. He must be with Futaba.

As she approached, she heard his muffled voice through the pillow his face was pressed into.

“Thanks for coming Becky, I really needed this.”

Sae smirked. Calling his teacher some ditzy nickname? Oh, she was going to make him pay for this.

She tossed her jacket over the nearby chair and knelt on the futon next to him, pressing her fingers into his back. The appreciative groan he gave did something to her insides that she pointedly ignored as she continued.

He wasn’t kidding, he really did need this. His back was a mass of knots. Well-defined knots, she noticed, but knots nonetheless. For a few moments she continued, her long, agile fingers doing their best to alleviate the tension he must feel as she steeled herself for the next part of her plan.

With a calming breath, she gracefully lifted her left leg over the teenage boy and straddled his lower back, placing both hands squarely on his shoulder blades.

“Whoa,” he mumbled, “that’s a little much don’t you think?”

She smirked as she finally began to speak.

“Paying your teacher for massages, Ren?” She said in her most seductive tone, “for shame.”

“Sae?!” Ren said with muffled surprise, struggling to lift himself up enough to turn and see her. Her hands against his upper back prevented him from moving.

“I don’t know whether to be mad or jealous,” she continued in a teasing voice. “Tell me, how many other older women do you have in your sights?”

“It’s not like that,” Ren argued, a note of panic in his voice, “it’s just to help after we go into the metaverse.”

“Professional, is it?” Sae laughed lightly. She was really enjoying this, “well if that’s the case, I guess I’d better continue. I’d hate to hurt you in any way.”

She massaged him slowly, making a conscious effort to grind her hips down ever so slightly into his back. It wasn’t enough to really do anything, but it was surely a reminder of just how close they were and how powerless he was. She made contended sighs as she rubbed, not quite erotic but definitely not professional. If he’d been tense before she’d started, he was far beyond that now.

“I’m a little concerned,” Sae said after a while, “you have all these older women in your life. Me, your teacher, that pretty doctor? I’d hate to think I’m just the next in line.”

“Never,” Ren said into the pillow with such fierceness and honesty that she felt her heart swell.

She almost let him up then. Almost, but not quite. That niggle of doubt was mostly gone, but she still needed to get him back for the flowers. And she intended to win their little bet.

“Really?” Sae said, a hint of doubt lacing into her sultry voice, “am I the only one you send gifts to?”

Ren voiced his assurances as she leaned down close to him. Her chest was against his back now, her hands moved to the backs of his arms, locking him into position. She was practically grinding on him. She whispered her next words, lips only a few inches from his ear.

“You give such thoughtful gifts,” Sae said in a voice deep and sultry, “any girl would be lucky to receive them. You know I’m wearing them right now?”

Ren groaned and she smiled. She recognized the sound of it, the mix of frustration and desire. She was going to drag a thousand sounds like that out of his lips before she was through with him, and he’d love every single one of them.

“I just wanted to see how it felt against my skin,” Sae whispered, her breath blowing lightly against his ear. She could feel a shiver run through his body. “Maybe someday I’ll get to feel you the same way.”

Ren was almost shaking now, and Sae was loving it. She wore a smirk so dangerous it bordered on cruel as she slowly, slowly rubbed her torso against the teenage boy’s back. She was wearing a turtleneck and slacks, hardly the best outfit for what she was doing, but she doubted Ren minded all that much at this point. Sae moved to the other side of his face, whispering in his other ear.

“I tried them with that dress you’re so fond of,” Sae could hear the boy’s breath catch at that, “I know that’s why you picked the colors you did. I felt so scandalous, that tiny dress and my lingerie threatening to peak out at any second. You should be ashamed of yourself for sending me something so inappropriate.”

Ren did not seem to be feeling shame, quite the opposite in fact if the heat his body was giving off was any indication. She leaned in to go for the kill.

“I kind of liked it,” Sae whispered in a voice so low and raspy it was practically dripping with sex. “It was so thrilling, knowing you imagined me in it.”

Ren was a bowstring pulled so taut it threatened to snap. Sae could practically feel his tension, and she knew that another push would cause him to come undone. And that wasn’t what she wanted at all. She sat up slightly, just enough so her chest was no longer touching him.

“Maybe if we were dating, I could show you instead of telling you. But you’d have to ask me out first,” Sae said smugly.

Ren gave such a long, low groan that Sae laughed. And now it was time for her final trick. She reached slowly into her back pocket, pulling out the handcuffs she’d stashed there. Before Ren was aware what was happening, she’d bound his wrists together behind his back.

She dismounted slowly, ignoring the disgruntled squawk Ren gave as he tried to pull his wrists apart. She grabbed her jacket, pulling it on and straightening her disheveled clothes gently. Ren sat up, face red and eyes dark. Sae found it an extremely enticing look.

“You’re a cruel woman, prosecutor,” Ren said in a thick voice. “Are you going to leave me like this?”

“No more than what you deserve,” Sae shot back with a smirk. “Sending me lingerie at my work, have you no shame?”

“Not in the slightest,” he said with a dark smile.

“And as soon as you’re done pretending you can win this little bet, I’ll show you just how little shame I can have.”

Sae could almost see the thoughts rushing through the boy’s head about what exactly that might mean. She would leave him to it.

She leaned down, her face only a few feet from his. It was reminiscent of when she’d helped him remove his shirt the night of the interrogation. She kissed her fingers and pressed them lightly against the boy’s lips.

In that moment, he stared at her with such raw hunger that she almost pushed him back on the bed and climbed on top of him, bet be damned. But she did not. Instead, she stood slowly and walked away, a smirk growing on her face.

“Hey,” he called out, “are you seriously not going to let me out of these?”

“I don’t think so,” Sae called over her shoulder, “You’re a thief, I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

Her smirk grew wider as she walked down the stairs and out the cafe into the night air.

This round went to her.

* * *

“You look terrible,” Ann said when she arrived at Leblanc in the early morning.

Ren gave a noncommittal grunt as he lay with his head on the bar top, dark bags under his eyes.

“What happened?” Ann asked as she slid into the seat next to him.

“Spent half the night trying to pick a lock behind my back.”

“Is that a euphemism for something gross?” Ann narrowed her eyes.

“No,” Ren grunted out before he told her of Sae’s late night visit.

After a solid five minutes of uninterrupted laughter, Ann finally calmed down enough to speak.

“Looks like she called your bluff,” Ann said, still chuckling lightly.

“I don’t know what to do,” Ren mumbled, “I don’t think my strategy is working.”

“I think you picked the one woman who isn’t embarrassed by your crazy flirting,” Ann shrugged, “I think she might even be better at it than you.”

“She is absolutely better at this than me,” Ren admitted, “and I’m not sure what to do about it.”

“Why are you so worked up about this?” Ann cocked her head, “it’s pretty clear she likes you, isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Maybe she was just trying to teach me a lesson,” Ren mumbled, “to punish me for all the gifts.”

“Oh, I definitely think she was trying to teach you a lesson,” Ann smirked, “but, what, you think she grinds on every guy who buys her flowers?”

“No,” Ren admitted, “but that’s just it, I can’t keep this up. I’ve been flying by the seat of my pants ever since I met her, and I think she’s gonna figure it out.”

“Ren, you’re seventeen and she’s, what, twenty-four?” Ann pointed out, “do you really think she expects you to be some sort of playboy? She has toknow you’re not that experienced when it comes to relationships.”

Ren mumbled something noncommittal and Ann shook her head.

“And you have to know she’s out of your league, right?” Ann continued, “she’s a young, hot lawyer and you’re her baby sister’s age.”

Ren gave her a cool, appraising look and Ann rolled her eyes.

“I’m a model, I can appreciate beauty,” Ann said flatly, “I’m not trying to horn in on your girl you idiot. I’m just saying, you knew this wouldn’t be easy, why are you getting bummed out now?”

“To be fair, I’m really, really tired,” Ren sighed.

“What you need is a new strategy,” Ann said resolutely, “let’s figure something out before the rest of the thieves gets here, I’m sure that’ll make you feel better.”

Ren nodded, looking grateful as he sat up, stretching his arms above his head and yawning.

“I’ll make us some coffee,” Ren said as he stood and made his way behind the counter.

“Let’s work backwards,” Ann said, “what’s your end goal?”

“I want Sae to throw me on her bed and ride me until she breaks me. And I mean like, to pieces.”

Ann dropped her face into her hands and gave a strangled-sounding groan. She lifted her head, cheeks red, and shot Ren her most poisonous glare.

“Ren, you’re my best friend,” Ann said deliberately, “but I am not one of your guy friends. You need to save all that for Ryuji, I am a lady.”

“Red latex and a whip,” Ren said pointedly.

“...means nothing,” Ann shook her head, “shut up.”

Ren smirked but let her denial go without reply. He poured their coffee into mugs and began to add in her sugar and milk.

“Pick something else,” Ann said stubbornly.

“I don’t know,” Ren shrugged, “it’s not like I have it all planned out or anything. I just… you know when we saw her in court, when we needed to open up that gate in her palace? I watched her control that courtroom and I was so in awe of her. She’s so capable, and the more I learn about what she’s had to go through in her life with her dad passing away and taking care of Makoto fresh out of college, the more impressive she is. Even right now, she’s driving me crazy but I love every second of it. I want it to last forever.”

“Ren…” Ann said softly. Who knew her friend could be so honest about the way he felt?

“I know,” Ren said with a shake of his head. “It’s silly, to be thinking about forever when we’re not even dating. But that’s how I feel. Maybe it won’t happen like that, but if there’s a chance of it I’m taking it.”

Ren gave a heaving sigh, as if the conversation had taken a lot out of him. Maybe it had. Ann had never heard her friend say this much about his feelings before. There was a pregnant pause as he waited for her response. She reached across the bar and bonked him on the forehead with the butt of her palm.

“Hey!” Ren exclaimed, “I pour out my soul and you hit me?”

“Ren, you big dumb sweetheart,” Ann said with a strange mix of pride and annoyance in her voice. “If that’s the way you feel, why don’t you just tell her that instead of dancing around it?”

“I want to,” Ren admitted, “and I will, someday. But right now, I want to show her that I can be the type of guy who can challenge her right back. And I can’t do that if I lose this bet.”

“You don’t know that,” Ann pointed out.

“The only reason she’s interested in me is because of how confident I was in the interrogation room, if I break now she’ll probably think it was a fluke,” Ren argued.

Ann looked at her friend for a long moment, studying his tired eyes and the stress he was foolishly piling on himself. He was so clearly in the wrong about all this, but he refused to see it. On top of that, he had the stress of Shido’s palace and the worry of arrest hanging around his neck. Ann made up her mind then, she was going to fix this for him.

“Do you trust me?” Ann said, reaching across the bar to grab his hand.

“Absolutely,” Ren said honestly, and Ann smiled brightly at him.

“Go get some rest, you desperately need it,” Ann said kindly, “I’ll figure out your next move by the time you wake up. If what you need is to win this bet, I’ll help you make it happen.”

Ren gave her a grateful smile and a nod before trudging his way, his coffee untouched and forgotten on the counter. Ann took a sip of hers before standing and heading out the doors to Leblanc. There were still a few hours left before the phantom thieves would be meeting, and Ann needed to work on a plan. She pulled out her phone and made a call.

“Makoto,” Ann said, “we need to talk.”


	5. King’s Gambit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren lets someone else make the plan for once. Sometimes the risk is worth it in the end.

They sat across from each other in a small cafe near the Niijima sisters’ apartment. It was cute, and the desserts were fantastic in Ann’s opinion, but the coffee didn’t quite compare to Leblanc. But she hadn’t come here for food and drink. Ann was here to present her case that Makoto should help her help Ren win his stupid bet. And she would do so the best way she knew how.

“Come onnnn,” Ann whined, “you know you want to help me!”

“No, I certainly don’t know that,” Makoto shook her head, “why don’t you explain it to me?”

“Because you gotta,” Ann said, “they’re gonna get together anyways.”

“You don’t know that,” Makoto pointed out, “either one of them could get bored, my sister could realize she’d be better off not dating a child, there are tons of possibilities.”

“Ren’s not a child,” Ann rolled her eyes.

“Technically he is,” Makoto replied, “and after all his teasing about my sister’s shadow, why would I help him? If I was going to help anyone, it would be my sister.”

“So you are helping Sae win this bet!” Ann said triumphantly, “I knew it!”

“I didn’t say that,” Makoto raised her eyebrows, “I just said if I was going to help, I wouldn’t help Ren.”

“He’s your friend,” Ann pointed out

“Sae’s my sister,” Makoto said easily, “and I don’t want to think about either of them like that.”

“Did your sister tell you what she was up to last night?” Ann smirked.

“She said she went to see Ren and something about payback and that’s when I plugged my ears and ran to my room.”

“Very mature,” Ann laughed, and Makoto shrugged.

“Why do we even need to help?” Makoto asked. “They seem to be doing just fine without us interfering.”

“See, that’s what I thought,” Ann said, “but Ren’s got himself all screwed up about this.”

“What do you mean?” Makoto asked, a bit of worry in her voice. This was not the time for their leader to lose focus.

“Well, he’s got it in his head that if he can’t win this bet then your sister is going to lose interest in him. And that’s really tearing him up inside.”

“They’ve known each other for less than a month,” Makoto pointed out, “he’s never let his feelings distract him before.”

“I don’t think he’s ever felt this way,” Ann said quietly, and Makoto did not reply for a long moment.

“So, what, he’s in love with my sister?” Makoto asked slowly.

“Head over heels,” Ann replied, “and he’s terrified of messing it up. I already told him I’d do anything I could to help, and I really think you should help me. I think he and your sister would be great together.”

“It’s still so weird,” Makoto groaned, dropping her head into her arms, “my sister and my friends have always been separate in my life. I mean, what if I come home and catch them kissing on the couch?”

“You’ll probably have to learn to be really loud when unlocking a front door,” Ann pointed out helpfully, “because kissing might be the least of your worries.”

Makoto gave a muffled groan and Ann patted her shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t you think your sister has been happier since she met Ren?” Ann asked, and Makoto raised her head and nodded.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“And honestly, is there a more caring person out there than Ren?” Ann continued, “just think of how he’s helped all of us. He helped me when Shiho left. He helped Ryuji with the track team. Anyone would be lucky to have a guy like him.”

“You’re right,” Makoto admitted, “and if they’d be happy together, I don’t want to stand in the way of that.”

“Proud of you,” Ann said, smiling brightly.

“Alright, I’ll do it,” Makoto sighed, “do you have a plan?”

“Sort of,” Ann shrugged, “but I think you could help me iron out the details.”

* * *

The past week had been stressful for Sae. Knowing your little sister was part of a secret organization was one thing, but seeing her come back day after day, worn out to the point of exhaustion was quite another. But after all that time, the phantom thieves had finally taken down Shido.

She had been appalled by how risky their stunt with the calling card had been. She’d called Ren right after to tell him how stupid that was, but he’d only laughed. She could practically see the smirk on his face when he told her not to worry. Honestly, it was so good to talk to him again that she let it go.

They hadn’t seen each other since her little visit the week prior because of how busy they both were. Shido’s palace had apparently been the largest they’d been to and Sae was steadily preparing her case against the man with information that the thieves passed along to her about his allies and confidants.

But now, with Shido’s change of heart, things could finally get back to normal. Ren could go out in public mostly free of worry, she could begin the journey to prosecuting Shido, and maybe her and Ren could finally make some progress in their relationship. Sae couldn’t be sure if it actually was one or not, but at least now they would get the chance.

Makoto had been strangely resistant to coming up with more ways to mess with Ren. She’d said there were more important things to worry about and she felt guilty coming up with ways to torture one of her best friends. Sae hadn’t pressed the issue.

She and Makoto were walking together through the streets of Yongen-Jaya on their way to Leblanc. The thieves had decided it was time for a celebration, and Sae couldn’t disagree with them. Her role as their unofficial legal council had afforded her an invite as well, or at least that’s what Ren had told her via text. She had told him that knowing the law like she did meant she knew how to get away with violent crimes if need be and he had asked her if that was a threat or an invitation. It had made her laugh. That was probably what she liked most about that troublesome teenager. He kept her on his toes and he always made her smile.

As they approached the cafe, Sae could see the hand-written sign in the door that read ‘closed for a private event’. If the dull roar of noise she could already hear was anything to go by, the party was already in full swing. As Makoto pushed open the door, the din grew louder.

There they all were, the eight phantom thieves sprawled out across the small booths with Sojiro slouched lazily behind the counter. It smelled of coffee and sugar, no doubt from the pile of baked goods and store-bought junk laid out across the tables. Sae gave a warm smile to the owner and he shot her a knowing smirk and a roll of his eyes. He was every bit the hard-ass with a soft spot for this group. Sae could relate.

“Everything ok sis?” Makoto asked after the thieves had shouted out their greetings.

“Yes,” Sae said, “go hang out with your friends, I’ll be fine.”

Makoto shot her a searching look before doing just that. It was strange, telling her sister to act like a teenager when she’d spent so long trying to force her to act more like an adult. The tinge of regret threatened to sour her mood, but she refused to let it. The past was the past, and she would be looking forward to the future.

As she headed towards the bar to ask for a cup of coffee, one she would surely need if she was going to listen to a bunch of teenagers hopped up on caffeine and sugar, she couldn’t help but notice that Ren was seated next to Ann once again. He met her gaze, and she did not look away. There was something in the way he stared at her, like he was analyzing her. Ann leaned in to whisper something that Sae could not catch and Ren chuckled, finally breaking their eye contact. Which was fine. Sae wanted a cup of coffee anyway. The fact that he always seemed to be sitting shoulder to shoulder with the blonde teen model did not bother her in the slightest.

“Coffee?” Sojiro asked as she sat at the bar, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Please, thank you Sojiro,” she nodded.

“Call me Boss, everyone else does,” the older man grunted as he turned towards the coffee beans.

“Alright then, Boss,” Sae tried the name out. It felt strange, but she took it as acceptance of her presence here. “How are they all doing after everything?”

“Hard to keep them down,” Sojiro said with a proud smile, “you’d never know they just fought off one of the most powerful men in Japan.”

“Anyone walking in would just think they’re a group of normal teenagers,” Sae agreed.

“I guess it’s up to us to make sure that they are from now on,” Sojiro murmured as he began to grind the beans.

“Indeed,” Sae nodded. She was the one who had the most work still to do. Bringing the future prime minister to trial would be no small feat, even with a video confession. But she was determined to do her part so that Ren and his friends’ actions would not be in vain.

After a few more minutes, Sojiro sat a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. She picked it up and took an appreciative inhale, letting the warmth and the strong scent of fresh coffee fill her lungs. It was black, just like she liked it. She turned in her chair to observe the rest of the party as she began to sip.

“I’m just sayin’,” Ryuji argued loudly, “I was pretty damn heroic, I don’t know why you were so mad at me just for saving the day.”

“Because we were worried about you, you idiot,” Ann yelled back from her spot next to Ren. They were still practically touching, Sae noticed.

“I have to agree with Ann,” Makoto added, “we thought you’d died.”

Sae’s eyebrows raised up almost of their volition. She hadn’t been told about any near-death experiences by Makoto.

“So why would you all start hitting me?” Ryuji demanded, “I didn’t know you thought that, I just pulled the switch and woke up in the real world.”

“Emotions are a complicated thing,” Haru interjected in her high, lilting voice, “we were showing how much you mean to us.”

“Women don’t make any sense at all,” Ryuji groaned, “seriously, how does that even make sense? Ren, back me up.”

“Uh, no,” Ren said quickly, “backing you up never ends well for me.”

“Traitor!” Ryuji exclaimed, and the cat starting meowing loudly at him.

“Oh yeah?” Ryuji took a step towards the cat, fists clenched. “What do you even know about it?”

As they began a rather one-sided argument from Sae’s perspective, the rest of the thieves seemed unperturbed. Sae got the feeling this was not an uncommon occurrence. Sae was struck by how comfortable the group seemed to be around each other. They moved in and out of each other’s conversations, switching topics at a moment’s notice. It made the whole room feel alive, and time passed quickly.

Soon enough, the sun had begun to set and the bright orange glow of the early evening came through the windows of the cafe. Sae watched as the group began to thin. Yusuke had already left, citing his need to find groceries for the week. The uneasy looks his friends gave each other at this went over the young artist’s head. Ryuji had left to eat dinner with his mom and Futaba had cited some sort of raid she didn’t want to be late for. Haru had been picked up by her chauffeur only a few minutes prior.

“Alright,” Boss had said finally to the last of the partygoers, “if you don’t live here, it’s time to go home. I’ve had my fill of teenagers for the day.”

Sae smiled at the man’s gruff demeanor, but she voiced her agreement. She’d already stayed longer than she’d meant, and she had a very busy day ahead of her at the office.

“Come on Makoto,” Sae said, “we need to be heading home anyway.”

“I’ll walk with you guys to the station,” Ann said brightly. That annoyed Sae ever so slightly, although it had no reason to.

As they all stood and gathered their coats, Sae watched as Ann pulled Ren into a rather fierce hug, whispering something into his ear to which he gave a short nod. A part of Sae wished she could do the same, but she would not be the one to admit that first. Instead she settled for a head nod to both Sojiro and Ren. The younger of the two had given her a warm smile that she hesitantly returned before walking out the door.

She and Ren had spoken a few times during the party, but it had been mostly mundane topics. Her work, how he was feeling after his injuries and the like. Neither of them was bold enough to bring up anything deeper than that in front of an audience. It was easier to be bold through a phone or under the cover of night. But it was enough for now, in Sae’s mind. They had all the time in the world now that Shido was out of the picture.

Unless he decided to look elsewhere, Sae thought to herself as she appraised the bubbly blonde teenager walking next to Makoto on their way to the train station. Sae would need to keep the conversation between the three of them going during their walk, she didn’t want to seem closed off or impersonable. And if Sae learned something to set her mind at ease about Ann and Ren’s relationship, that would simply be a secondary benefit.

“So Ann,” Sae said casually, “you and Ren seem very close.”

So it wasn’t the most subtle of starts, big deal.

“Yeah,” Ann nodded, “he’s one of my best friends.”

“You’re just friends?” Sae asked as nonchalantly as she could, and Ann laughed brightly. Sae noticed Makoto smiling as well at that.

“Of course,” Ann said. “Ren’s not really my type. And besides, I’d hate to know what you’d do to me if I made a move on him.”

Makoto and Ann both laughed at that, and Sae felt the embarrassment flush her cheeks. She was acting like some lovestruck teenager. But even with Ann’s reassurances, Sae had a hard time quenching that little seed of doubt.

* * *

“Come on sis,” Makoto urged as they emerged from one of the Kanda subway stations. Sae shook her head. This was the first night she’d had off in nearly a week, and Makoto had asked to go out for dinner.

“I’m coming, what’s the rush?” Sae asked with a smile.

Makoto was carrying a handful of notebooks with her. She’d insisted that she drop them off with Ren who was at some church here in Kanda. Sae hadn’t argued, it would be nice to see him. They’d only had time for a few texts back and forth since the celebration at Leblanc.

“I’m hungry,” Makoto said petulantly, “and we still have to run by the church.”

“What is Ren doing at a church anyway? He doesn’t strike me as the religious type.”

“He plays Shogi there,” Makoto said as she studied the street signs before turning left.

“Of course,” Sae nodded as if that made sense.

They walked in silence for a bit as Makoto led them through the busy streets. They were mostly filled with businessmen and politicians heading home from the various political institutions. Sae could relate to the looks of exhaustion on their face. The week had been long, no one seemed to want to work with her to help prosecute Shido. But she put thoughts of work out of her mind. She was determined to bring her work-life balance back into order, and that started with appreciating the limited time she had with her sister.

“Here we are,” Makoto said, pointing towards an ornate cathedral up ahead. It was opulent in Sae’s opinion. She’d never held much stock in organized religion. Her work as a prosecutor hadn’t strengthened her belief in a higher power.

As they approached the open doors, Sae could see a handful of parishioners sitting in the pews. In the front row, she saw a familiar mop of black hair turned sideways and speaking to yet another pretty girl, a brunette Sae did not recognize.

“There he is,” Sae pointed out, and Makoto nodded as she made her way to the front of the church. As far as Sae could see, nothing was actually happening in the church at the moment, and no one paid them much attention as they walked in.

“Here’s the notes,” Makoto said, handing off the bundle of notebooks to the teen as he stood up to greet them.

“Thanks Makoto,” Ren smiled before his eyes shifted to Sae.

“Hey,” he said warmly, “how’s the case going?”

“Slowly,” Sae shook her head, “but I’m making progress.”

“Good, I know you can do it,” Ren’s smile brightened, “we’re counting on you.”

Sae felt a warmth in her chest from the teenager’s confidence in her. They were still dancing around their feelings, but Sae was more sure than ever that she wanted a chance to explore them. She was sure that Ren felt the same, which made her wonder who this new girl was.

“Who is your friend?” Sae asked, looking towards the waif-like girl seated next to the shogi board. She was a timid-looking girl in a school uniform Sae did not recognize.

“Oh, sorry,” Ren rubbed the back of his neck, “this is Hifumi, she’s my Shogi master. Hifumi, this is Sae, Makoto’s sister.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the girl said demurely, and Sae returned the greeting with a smile.

“We should be getting to dinner,” Makoto said suddenly, “we’ll leave you to your game.”

“Alright, enjoy your evening,” Ren said with a smile. He smirked at Sae and gave her a wink before taking his seat again. Sae rolled her eyes but let it go as she followed her sister out of the church.

They didn’t speak much as they made their way to the restaurant, content to walk in silence. Sae’s mind was lost in thoughts about a certain boy. Soon enough they were seated and ordering and then there was nothing but the two of them.

“So Hifumi seems nice, do you know her well?” Sae asked suddenly, but Makoto shook her head.

“Not really, she goes to school with Yusuke, but Ren’s the only one she’s close to. He says that Shogi helps in the metaverse.”

“How does that even work?” Sae asked, an eyebrow raised.

“I don’t really know,” Makoto admitted, “it all has something to do with our perception. If you think something will work, it will. That’s why the medicine and the model guns work. Ren’s got a bunch of people around the city that he swears help him, but he doesn’t really tell us much more than that.”

“Hmm,” Sae said, steepling her fingers, “and how many of them are attractive women?”

“Sis,” Makoto groaned, “you really have no reason to be jealous.”

“That wasn’t an answer,” Sae pointed out with a smile.

“I have no idea,” Makoto sighed, “it’s not like I follow him around.”

“Not anymore at least,” Sae teased.

“Of course he would tell you about that,” Makoto shook her head, “it was one time, and I was just trying to figure out if he was a part of the phantom thieves, which he was, by the way.”

Sae laughed. But then her smile fell a bit.

“So you don’t think she’s interested in him?” Sae asked seriously.

“Honestly?” Makoto asked. “She probably is. He has that effect on people, but I still don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

“Why’s that?” Sae asked.

“You should see the way he looks at you. And the way he talks about you, it’s nauseating.”

“Thanks,” Sae laughed, “I guess I have nothing to worry about.”

“You really don’t,” Makoto smiled softly, “so how long until one of you breaks down and you actually talk about how you feel?”

“I don’t really have any excuses anymore now do I?” Sae shrugged. “As soon as I finish building this case against Shido I’ll have all the time in the world.”

“Good,” Makoto nodded, “I want you to be happy sis.”

Sae reached across the table and gave her sister’s hand a squeeze.

Further emotional talk was cut off as their food was delivered. The rest of their evening was spent on lighter topics.

* * *

  
_What are you doing tonight_ , Sae had texted that afternoon.

 _Working unfortunately, but if you’re asking me out I’m sure I could find someone to cover for me_ , he had sent back within a few moments and Sae had scoffed.

 _Nice try, not going to happen_ , she’d shot back.

_Pity. Why do you ask, what’s up?_

_Case is hitting roadblocks, I was hoping to pick your brain about anything else you remember about Shido’s allies_ , she’d replied.

 _I don’t think there’s much else I can tell you but I’ll do what I can. Makoto might remember more than me_ , came the response.

 _Honestly, I just need a break from it all to clear my head_ , she’d sent back.

 _How about I buy you a drink?_ He had responded.

And now she found herself walking slowly through the streets of Shinjuku towards a seedy bar in the early evening. She’d been surprised when he told her to meet him at a bar, and even more so when he’d said he worked there, but at this point she was almost coming to grips with how weird Ren’s daily life was.

She approached the neon sign that read Crossroads, ducking between the obnoxious crowds already beginning to grow. She really did not enjoy coming to this part of Tokyo. She pushed the door open and stepped into the small bar.

It was dimly lit, all black lights and pink neon. There were a few customers scattered about, a rather intimidating looking drag queen behind the bar, and next to her stood a tall thin boy absentmindedly washing dishes. Ren looked up and saw her, his face breaking out into a smile.

“Hey Sae, glad you found the place,” he said warmly. “Grab a seat.”

Sae shook her head with a rueful smile as she slid onto a barstool near a short-haired woman nursing a lowball glass. Of course Ren wouldn’t look out of place behind a bar, a towel thrown over his shoulder. In fact, Sae was beginning to think there was no place Ren couldn’t blend in. Maybe that's why he was so good at being a thief.

“This your girlfriend Ren?” The short-haired woman seated next to her asked in a too-loud voice. Sae could practically hear the booze in her voice.

“Just a friend Ohya,” Ren assured her with a small smile before covertly rolling his eyes at Sae. She laughed quietly.

“Whatever you say,” the woman mumbled before returning to her drink.

“So how are you doing?” Ren asked as he began drying the glasses in front of him. “What can I help with?”

“I don’t know if you can,” Sae admitted, “things aren’t going well, I can’t seem to get any support in pushing the case forward. It’s like everyone just wants to pretend nothing happened.”

“What?” Ren asked incredulously, “but he confessed, it was on tape and everything.”

“I know,” Sae nodded, “which is why it’s so frustrating. I don’t understand why no one seems to care.”

“Damn,” Ren swore, “and I’d really hoped that the hard part was over. Can I get you a drink?”

“Excuse me,” a booming voice sounded from further down the bar, “you are in high school, unless that young lady wants water, you won’t be getting her anything.”

The large woman with purple hair sashayed over to the black-haired teenager, hands on her hips. But Ren seemed to take it in stride as if this was a common occurrence.

“Of course, I’m sorry,” Ren apologized smoothly, “Sae, this is Lala Escargot, proprietor of the bar and my boss. I’m sure she’d love to fix you anything you’d like. I’m just going to grab some more ice, don’t mind me.”

As the teenager made a hasty retreat, Sae watched this Lala shake her head with a rueful smile before she turned her attention back across the bar.

“Sorry about that darling,” Lala apologized, “children these days, so unruly.”

“That one especially,” Sae smiled and Lala laughed, as did the woman sitting next to her at the bar, Ohya if she recalled correctly.

“I see you know him,” Lala smiled, “in that case, the first drink’s on the house. What can I get you?”

“Dry martini please,” Sae said with a smile, “and thank you, I could really use it after the week I’ve had.”

Lala waved off her praise as she deftly began to pour gin and vermouth, stirring it and straining it into a cocktail glass. She dropped in an olive and placed it on a napkin in front of Sae. As Ren returned from the back of the bar, Lala gave her a wink before moving on to the other customers.

“Sorry about that,” Ren gave her a cocky grin, “Hard liquor on a weeknight though? Hardly acceptable behavior for a public prosecutor.”

“With you in my life, I’m surprised I don’t drink like this every night,” Sae rolled her eyes and he laughed at her

The short-haired woman was studying the two of them, eyes narrowed in analysis even as she swayed slightly due to the booze. As if coming to a realization she snapped her fingers.

“You two are together, aren’t you?” Ohya asked with a laugh, “I knew it.”

“We’re not,” Sae explained calmly, but the woman did not seem to hear her.

“I guess you were so into pretending to be my boyfriend that you went out and actually found an older woman,” Ohya mocked.

“What’s she talking about?” Sae asked, already a little annoyed at the implication of yet another woman in Ren’s life.

“It’s no big deal,” Ren said quickly. “She’s a reporter that’s helped us out a bunch, I just had to pretend to be her boyfriend so her boss would get off her back.”

“I guess I rubbed off on him though!” Ohya roared, amusing herself to no end.

“Didn’t you pretend to be my sister’s boyfriend as well?” Sae said through gritted teeth.

“Yes,” Ren said and Ohya laughed louder, “but that was for a completely different reason.”

“Who else did you have to pretend-date just to help?” Sae rolled her eyes.

“Um, just Ohya and Makoto,” Ren began to count them off on his fingers, “and I guess Ann but that was only for like a few minutes, oh and Haru but I didn’t actually do anything other than stand there and look tough when her fiancé showed up.”

“And there was no other way to solve all those problems?” Sae asked, exasperated.

“Hey, why change what keeps working?” Ren said with a cocky smile and Sae couldn’t help but laugh.

“Just, maybe stop doing that for now,” Sae said, “you’re smart, I’m sure you can find another way to solve people’s problems.”

“Deal,” Ren said, holding a hand out for Sae to shake. She did so, shaking her head at him. He was always good for lifting her spirits, even if he annoyed the hell out of her sometimes.

They talked for a while after that, about everything and nothing. Sae managed to finish not one but two martinis and was feeling considerably better about things as she made her way home.

It wasn’t until the next morning that she realized that the list of women that Ren had close relationships with just kept on growing. She resolved to talk to him about it soon.

* * *

The next day, Ren sat waiting on the medical bed in Tae’s clinic. It was just a check-up to make sure there were no lingering effects from his time in police custody. It was boring, which meant Tae had plenty of time to needle him with questions.

“So you and miss lawyer dating yet?” Tae asked him with a knowing smile on her face.

“Not yet, but hopefully soon,” Ren said honestly.

“How’s your plan to get her to confess her undying love for you going?” Tae asked, and Ren could hear the underlying teasing there.

“Eh,” Ren shrugged, “only so-so. Ann’s helping, although I don’t know how. She just told me to back off for a little while so I’m playing it cool.”

“Letting someone else help you?” Tae raised an eyebrow, “that’s not really your style.”

“Maybe, but if it works I won’t complain,” Ren replied, “the problem is I have no idea if it will or not. She’s hard to read.”

“Why don’t you just give it up and be honest with her?” Tae asked.

“If this goes on much longer I think I will,” Ren confessed, “this game was a lot more fun when I felt like I was winning.”

“I bet,” Tae rolled her eyes as she stood up, “well, you’re perfectly healthy, seems like there are no long term effects from your little stunt at the police station.”

“You make it sound like I was doing skateboard tricks on the sidewalk outside,” Ren sighed.

“It’s important that someone in your life makes sure you don’t get a big head,” Tae told him sweetly, “now let’s get out of here, you’re my last patient and I could use a cup of coffee.”

“Fine,” Ren sighed.

As they left the clinic, the sun had nearly set. The streets were lively, but not overly so. People were talking, kids were playing. It was a peaceful scene.

They talked about nothing in particular, about some of Ren’s confidants and about Tae’s patients. It was nice. It felt normal.

As they turned the corner to the alley in which Leblanc was located, Ren could make out a figure outside the cafe with a familiar mane of silver hair.

“Is that your girl?” Tae asked. They were still far enough away that Sae wouldn’t be able to hear them.

“Don’t let her hear you calling her that,” Ren murmured, “but yes.”

Ren could see Tae’s eyes narrow slightly, as if she were analyzing the silver-haired woman. She gave a small smirk as if she realized something, shaking her head slightly.

She grabbed his arm to stop him just far enough from Sae that they were clearly visible but still inaudible.

“Don’t say I’ve never done anything for you kid,” Tae said quietly as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him firmly on his cheek. Ren fought the urge to gape. If there was one thing Tae was not, it was affectionate. She silently turned around and headed back the way they’d come, leaving him with a bewildered look on his face.

As he turned back ahead, he could see an unreadable expression on Sae’s face. She walked straight up to him and gave him a piercing look.

“Just what are you playing at?” Sae demanded and Ren sputtered. “Every time I see you you’re with another girl. Is that the type of guy you are?”

“No!” Ren spat out, “Sae, nothing is going on with me and anyone else.

“I’m supposed to believe that?” Sae said sharply, “one or two so-called friends I could believe, but this is ridiculous.”

“It’s not like that at all,” Ren argued desperately, “Sae, you’re the one I want, just you!”

There was a pause for what felt like a split second and an eternity all at once, then Ren was being pushed against the brick wall and suddenly a pair of lips was on his own.

He was too stunned to move for the first moment, Sae’s lips pressed almost desperately against his, her hands bunched in his shirt. Then he kissed her back hungrily, desperately.

He spun her, pushing her against the wall. He could feel the gasp escape her, and he wondered for a moment if he was being too rough with her. But she slid her tongue in his mouth then and all rational thought left him.

“Have you been trying to make me jealous Ren?” Sae whispered into his ear as he kissed along her jawline. “That’s a dangerous game to play.”

Ren had no idea what she was talking about, but he wasn’t about to say anything that could cause this to stop.

Ren did not know how long they kissed in the street where anyone could see. But when they finally pulled apart, they were both breathing heavily. Sae’s lipstick was smudged and her hair was tousled. To Ren, she was more gorgeous now than she’d ever been.

“What does this mean?” Ren asked at last. It seemed as good a question as any.

“Oh Ren,” Sae laughed, cupping his cheek in her hand, “It means that even if you haven’t lost our bet yet, you’re still mine. And I don’t share. So stop making me so jealous.”

“Whatever you say,” Ren said, trying and failing to not sound like his heart was still beating out his chest.

Sae ran her fingers through her hair, straightening it back into place before placing a hand on Ren’s chest.

“I am going to go home,” Sae said slowly, “because I have to go to work tomorrow and work on this case. But when it’s done, we are going to figure this out. I’m done pretending.”

She kissed him once more, softly this time, and she walked away, willing her legs to stay steady. She hadn’t been kissed like that since… well, she might’ve never been kissed like that. Now she just had to finish this case and she could find out what else Ren excelled at. Things were finally looking up.

A week later, blood began to rain from the sky in Shibuya and all Sae could do was hope that Ren would be ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a hard one to write, I just couldn’t get through it. And I had to type it all on my phone which was fun. Just two more chapters though. Next one will have Royal spoilers, I’ll mark it very clearly at the beginning and it won’t be necessary to read for the final chapter to fit.
> 
> Let me know what you think of this one, I really appreciate any comments you guys leave.


	6. Dreams and Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are Persona 5 Royal spoilers in this chapter. It isn’t exactly the same as the game, but it’s close enough that if you haven’t played it and don’t want to spoil anything, skip this chapter. The next chapter will basically pick up where the previous one left off.

Ren stood in the middle of the central street of Shibuya, breathing in the cold winter air. The crowds streamed by him, ignoring the strange teenager who didn’t seem to realize it was Christmas Eve and there was a million things to do. They were oblivious to what had just happened, the spines that had emerged from the ground and the blood raining from the sky nothing but an awkward half-realized dream in most of their heads. Ren felt like the people were walking faster than they had before, more full of determination and purpose.

But mostly, he just felt tired. All the power of the people’s hope in him had faded. Satanael was nothing but a fuzzy memory now and the exhaustion that came from fighting for hours on end had finally caught up to him.

Now it was finally over. He could hear pieces of conversations going on around him, and more than a few were talking about how they’d need to hold an emergency election to replace Shido. It gave Ren a peace he hadn’t felt in a long time. All the struggling and fighting, the fear of jail, it was all replaced with a calm detachment.

His phone vibrated again. He’d been receiving messages ever since the thieves had gone their separate ways. Morgana’s disappearance had affected them all, and they each needed time. But his friends and his confidants had all been reaching out to see if he was ok, to see if he had a place to go. It was heartening.

“Never expected to find you all alone,” a familiar voice called out from behind him. He turned to find Sae there, as perfect as ever in her suit.

“Just taking it all in,” Ren replied, smiling brightly. They hadn’t seen each other since she’d kissed him nearly a week ago. Now they could finally talk about things. “It’s finally over.”

“How are you feeling?” Sae asked, coming close and placing her hand against his forehead, “that was quite an ordeal.”

“Tired,” Ren admitted, “but better than I have in a long time.”

“Good,” Sae said warmly, but her face turned pensive. Ren noticed immediately.

“What’s up?” Ren asked.

“I just got off the phone with the department,” Sae said slowly, “they want to move forward with prosecution against Shido.”

“That’s great!” Ren exclaimed, “...isn’t it?”

“The thing is,” Sae said, “a confession isn’t enough to get a conviction, not without any real evidence.”

“...what sort of evidence,” Ren asked, narrowing his eyes.

“They want the phantom thieves to provide testimony. It’s the only way to prove they aren’t blackmailing or threatening Shido into a confession.”

“Which means the police are still going to be after us,” Ren said tiredly, “is this ever going to end?”

“There is one way,” Sae began tentatively, “they don’t need all the thieves.”

Ren gave the woman that he liked and maybe sort of loved a hard look.

“You want me to turn myself in, don’t you?” Ren asked rhetorically. Sae did not reply.

Ren was silent for a long time. He stared out at the people rushing by, and for a moment he hated them. It was their fault he’d had to go through all this shit. It was their fault he was still going through it. And they didn’t even know.

“Dammit!” Ren swore loudly, yelling it out and for once not caring who noticed. A few of the people walking by gasped in surprise and some even glared at him. He did not care.

“Why is it always up to me?” Ren asked Sae, his voice rising in anger and panic. “Why do I always have to make the sacrifice?”

“It’s not fair,” Sae said as calmly as she could. It really wasn’t.

“I wish,” Ren began before shaking his head, “I wish things didn’t have to be like this all the time. I’m just so, so tired of it all.”

“I know, I’m so sorry,” Sae said honestly. Her heart broke for the teen in front of her. “I wish there was any other way, and I promise I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure this is over as fast as possible.”

“They’re going to lock me up aren’t they,” Ren said quietly.

“Probably,” Sae admitted, “they don’t know what it is you do, they won’t want to risk anything happening.”

For a desperate moment, Ren wished with all his might that someone would come and take this burden from him, that there would finally be someone else. His head went fuzzy for the briefest moment, and he shook away the feeling.

“When do I need to turn myself in?” Ren asked.

Sae pulled the taller boy to her, resting her head in the crook of his neck. She finally gave in and let her tears fall.

“You are the strongest man I’ve ever met,” Sae said, her voice choked with emotion. Ren wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight.

“Sorry to break up this moment,” a familiar voice rang out, “but maybe I can be of assistance?”

Ren and Sae almost jumped apart, both aware that they probably shouldn’t be seen in this sort of embrace. Ren’s denial that there was anything going on between him died on his lips. There stood Akechi, looking just as Ren remembered him.

“You’re alive?” Ren gasped. “How?”

“Don’t be so surprised,” Akechi said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Now I believe you need testimony against Shido about the metaverse? I think I can be of some assistance.”

“You would do that for Ren? You’d take his place?” Sae asked incredulously.

“To get revenge against my father, I would do anything,” Akechi said with some of the venom that Ren expected of him.

There was something wrong here. Ren knew it. But if the universe had finally decided to give him a break, who was he to question it? Finally, something was going his way.

“Well that solves that problem then,” Sae said slowly, as if she couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. “I’ll take you in now if you’d like.”

“Please lead the way,” Akechi said graciously. Sae gave Ren’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before the two walked away and Ren was left alone.

Something tickled at the back of his mind. Something he was supposed to remember? Or maybe something he needed to realize. Whatever it was, it did not come to him and Ren’s thoughts fled to a cot in an attic and some desperately needed rest.

He remembered no more from that night.

* * *

Ren woke up slowly. It was cool in the attic, but not unbearably so. He sat up yawning and stretched his arms above his head. He felt good, better than he could ever remember feeling.

It was Christmas! Or, wait, it was New Year’s Day? He’d nearly forgotten. He stood up and changed out of his sleepwear quickly, pulling on the thick wool coat he’d taken to wearing recently. He headed down the stairs, hearing the subtle noise of conversation from the cafe below.

Futaba sat at one of the booths, a laptop in front of her as she typed away. Boss was behind the counter brewing coffee with an easy smile that seemed unfamiliar and yet completely natural on the older man’s face. A dark-haired woman sat across the bar from him, looking over her glasses and giving the man a stern but caring glare.

Ren was seized with the briefest moment of worry, his mind filled with images of a fearsome winged creature before he shook his head. It was only Futaba’s mother. He saw her nearly every morning, there was no reason to be afraid of her.

“Morning Ren,” Boss called out, setting a cup of coffee at one of the empty stools. “Here, drink up before you go.”

“Go?” Ren asked, confused, “go where?”

“To the temple,” Futaba supplied, “we’re all meeting up there, or did you forget?”

“No, I remembered,” Ren said. Of course he did, all the phantom thieves had planned on meeting at the temple. He didn’t know how he’d forgotten.

He put it out of his mind as he took his seat and picked up the coffee in front of him. He sipped it slowly, enjoying it. It might have been the most delicious coffee he’d ever had.

All was well with the world.

* * *

Ren made his way back from the shrine slowly, allowing the enthusiasm of his friends to mask the strange feeling of disquiet that had not left him. Everything was fine, so why did he have this disquiet in the back of his mind?  
The thieves were as happy as he’d ever seen them. Ann was talking animatedly with Haru, who was giggling at whatever they were talking about. Yusuke was as stoic as ever, but a small smile graced his face. Ryuji and Futaba were arguing about a video game, but they were laughing. Everything seemed perfect.

“Ren,” Makoto turned to him, “are you still coming over tonight for dinner?”

“What?” Ren blanked, “oh, I mean, yeah, what time was that again?”

“Eight,” Makoto gave him a shrewd look, “same as every Sunday.”

“Right, of course,” Ren tried to give her a reassuring smile. That did sound familiar, he had no idea how he’d forgotten.

“Just brace yourself, my sister is cooking,” Makoto shook her head. “She’s certainly been getting better, but I still catch my dad hiding bits of it in his napkin.”

Ren chuckled at that even as his head throbbed. He knew what she said was perfectly true, and yet part of him knew it to be false. It was like two discordant notes were playing in his head and he couldn’t decide which was right.

“I’ll be there,” Ren managed, a fake smile plastered on his face. What was wrong with him today? He needed to get a grip.

Makoto seemed to be satisfied with his response as she turned back to the group at large, leaving Ren with his thoughts.

* * *

As Ren left the cafe that evening, relatively calmer than he had been in the morning, he was struck by the sudden realization that he couldn’t remember where Makoto lived. He’d never been there. But that was stupid, of course he had. He went there every Sunday for family dinner. He made his way to the station shaking his head at his own foolishness.

Soon enough he was standing in front of the large apartment building where the Niijima family lived. He walked past the doorman who greeted him warmly. It was nice, it felt like Ren really belonged here. The elevator was empty, and he rode it up to the fourteenth floor. Before he knew it, he was knocking on the apartment door.

“Hey Ren,” Makoto smiled as she opened the door and beckoned him in. She wore a knee-length skirt and a button-up blouse. Ren checked it against the turtleneck and slacks he wore and was relieved to find he was not over- or underdressed. He’d simply grabbed what felt right out of his clothes.

“Sae’s in the kitchen if you want to say hey,” Makoto said easily as she walked ahead of him. “Dad and I are watching TV in the living room if you want to join us after.”

“Sure,” Ren said. Of course that’s what he’d want to do, Sae was his girlfriend. They’d been dating for several months.

He walked through the large apartment to the kitchen and there she was. She wore a black sweater under a bright red apron, her hair pulled back in a ponytail as she stood stirring a pot over the stove.

“Hey,” Ren said tentatively.

“Ren!” Sae said happily, “I’m glad you made it darling, come try this.”

He walked around the island and approached the stove. Sae kissed him on the cheek before spooning up a bit of the soup she was working on for him to try.

“Careful,” Sae said suddenly and Ren paused. She blew on it gently to cool it off and brought it to his lips.

It was just a simple miso soup, but Ren felt a comforting warmth in his chest all the same. It all felt oddly… domestic. That discordant feeling in his head started up again, but Ren chose to ignore it, forcing it to subside.

Instead, he leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. She laughed.

“What was that for?” Sae asked, her cheeks turning a bit pink.

“It’s good,” Ren said with a smile, “the soup, I mean. I wanted you to try it.”

Sae rolled her eyes at him, a smile on her face.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but just because my father is ok with our relationship doesn’t mean he’d appreciate walking on you making out with his daughter in his kitchen. Now get out of here, let me finish this meal.”

Ren chuckled as he walked away, heading for the living room where Makoto had gone.

There was some crime drama playing on the TV as he walked in. Makoto was flipping through a textbook, no doubt preparing for her entrance exams coming up.

“Ren!” A deep voice called out from the recliner as a broad-shouldered man with salt-and-pepper hair stood up to greet him, “good to see you my boy.”

“Hello Mr. Niijima,” Ren said with a smile, “it’s good to see you as well. How is work?”

“Eh, it’s work,” the older man said dismissively, “been a pretty light week all things considered. Crime’s been down lately so it’s a good time to be a cop.”

Ren gave a respectful smile as the man beckoned him to take a seat. The three of them fell into a comfortable silence.

It was nice, Ren thought. He was happy here.

Soon enough, Sae was calling for them. They gathered in the dining room around a pretty impressive collection of dishes and sat down, Sae taking a seat next to Ren.

“It looks great Sae,” Ren said honestly, and her father laughed.

“Always a charmer, this one, you’d better watch yourself darling,” he guffawed and Sae blushed at her father’s insinuation.

They all sat and began to eat. Ren wasn’t sure what Makoto had been worried about, the food was delicious, as it always was. The conversation flowed easily, from one topic to another.

“So,” Mr. Niijima said suddenly, “Ren, have you given any thought to what you’ll be pursuing once you graduate from Shujin?”

“Oh,” Ren started, but an answer came easily to him, “I’d like to pursue a career in politics. I think I could make a real difference.”

That didn’t sound right in his ears, but the three others at the table all nodded as if it was the most logical choice in the world. Ren’s ears began to ring, the discordant feeling in his mind growing louder.

“It’s not an easy path,” Mr. Niijima mused, “but I think you could do great things.”

“What about you Makoto,” Ren said, desperate to push their attention away and give him a second to recover, “still planning on becoming police commissioner?”

Makoto laughed lightly, and her father smirked at her.

“Maybe,” she shrugged, “I think working as a police officer could be fun, but I’m not sure if I can see myself making it all the way to commissioner. I’ll just have to see how it goes.”

The ringing in his ears only grew, and Ren’s hands clenched the legs of his pants until his knuckles turned white.

“It’s not good to push yourself too hard,” Sae agreed, nodding, “I’ve been reducing my caseload at the prosecutor’s office lately to make sure I don’t overwork myself.”

“What?” Ren asked quickly, his pulse rising. Of everything that he’d heard so far, that sounded the most… off.

“I think I’d rather just take things a bit easier,” Sae explained, “and it would give me more time to spend with you. I don’t see myself getting promoted anytime soon, so I don’t think it’s worth all the added stress to push myself.”

The buzzing in Ren’s ears grew to a fevered pitch. His vision blurred, and for a brief moment he saw the gray-haired woman sitting calmly next to him morphed into a shadowy figure with a cruel smile.

The glass cracked and Ren’s head cleared. He remembered everything. The interrogation room, a stolen moment pushed up against the wall outside Leblanc, Sae’s lips desperate against his. He remembered a fight against a god above Tokyo. And he remembered Sae asking him to turn himself in, but nothing after that.

Ren’s heart raced. He stood up so fast his chair fell back. Three faces stared back at him, worry and surprise etched on their face. Sae and Makoto’s dad wasn’t supposed to be here, and even as he realized that, Ren could see the man was not entirely corporeal, but instead watery and blurry.

Ren did the only thing he could think of. He ran. He had his shoes and was out the door before another word could be uttered. He did not stop running for what felt like miles.

* * *

Ren found himself in a park. A handful of street lamps nearby weren’t quite enough to keep the patch of land alight. His hands gripped his knees as he gasped for breath, sweat pouring through the button-up shirt he wore. His mind was racing, thoughts jumbled and mixed up as he tried to understand what was happening. Why was everything different? Why was he the only one who seemed to notice? He did not have to wait long before the gentle sound of shoes against the sidewalk could be heard.

“Hello Ren,” a man in a white lab coat said quietly.

“Dr. Maruki?” Ren gasped, confused. The man looked different than he had at Shujin. His hair was slicked back instead of in its usual mess, and the wrinkled slacks and shirt under his lab coat was replaced with an all-silver outfit that reminded Ren of bad science-fiction shows. His face was solemn.

“It’s good to see you again,” the man said graciously, although the endearing smile Ren was used to seeing on the councilor’s face was missing.

“What’s going on?” Ren asked, even as he began to understand.

“Do you really need me to explain it to you?” The man smiled, “you’re a smart kid, I’m sure you’re starting to piece it together.

“This is what you were talking about during our sessions, you found a way to take away everyone's bad memories,” Ren said slowly.

“You’re half right,” Maruki nodded, “I’ve remade the world itself. Everyone gets to be happy, there’s no more suffering. Everything is perfect.”

“Is it?” Ren asked sharply, “because those people I just had dinner with aren’t anything like the ones from the real world.”

“This is the real world,” Maruki chastised lightly, “and are they really that much different? All I did was make their dreams come true. Makoto gets her father back and her sister doesn’t have to provide for her anymore.”

“You took their motivation away,” Ren shot back, “They’re just… existing. Their drive to better themselves is just gone!”

“Is that such a bad trade-off to have no pain or suffering?” Maruki explained as if he were teaching a child, “what about you and Sae?”

“What about us?” Ren asked, confused.

“You’re free to have your relationship,” Maruki said with a smile, “no one will question her dating a teenager. There aren’t any more hurdles to overcome.”

“I liked the hurdles,” Ren said softly, “I liked having to fight for her.”

“Why?” Maruki asked, genuine confusion on his face.

“Because that’s what made it worth it,” Ren said, “that’s what made it real!”

Maruki was studying him as if Ren’s word made no sense to him. It was then that Ren began to feel the overwhelming feeling of power emanating from the man. It was so familiar that Ren was surprised he’d only just noticed.

“You absorbed the power of Yaldabaoth,” Ren said hollowly, “after I shot him in the head, that power had to go somewhere and I didn’t want it. So it went to you.”

“Maybe,” Maruki shrugged, “I don’t rightly know, all I know is I finally have the power I need to help everyone.”

“What happens now,” Ren said slowly. He was alone here, his friends would be none the wiser if Maruki decided to just get rid of him. But Maruki seemed lost in his own thoughts, violence the furthest thing from his mind.

“I don’t understand you,” Maruki began, “everyone else is fine with what I’ve done. They don’t notice because they don’t want to. You’ve had all these terrible things happen to you in the last year, why not just let them all go and be happy?”

“There’s more to life than just being happy,” Ren said slowly, “maybe this year has had some rough moments, but all the friends I’ve made, all the growth I’ve had as a person, that was because of those challenges. I don’t want to give that up just so I can live in a daydream.”

“Do you think everyone will feel that way?” Marino asked. “What about your friends? They’re happy now. Would you so willingly take that from them?”

“They’d stand with me,” Ren said doggedly, “and even if they didn’t, I’m done letting anyone control me. I killed one god already, and you’re nothing compared to him.”

“We’ll see,” Maruki said with a stern stare, “take a week. Take two, I’m not going anywhere. Talk to your friends, see if you can convince them to help you destroy paradise.”

Ren’s clothes flashed with blue fire and he stood in his phantom thieves' clothes. Maruki was clearly beginning to see him as a threat. Ren smile, his eyes glinting behind his mask.

“I will,” Ren said slowly, his dark smile growing, “I’ll get my friends, knock you off your throne, and maybe even get the girl.”

“We’ll see which of us has the will to see their goals come to fruition,” Maruki said sternly as he turned to walk away.

Within a week he was defeated, his body falling from the corpse of his awakened persona. And Ren woke up in solitary confinement in a juvenile detention center.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to justify how I wrote this chapter. I like Persona 5 Royal a lot. I liked Maruki as a character and I really enjoyed the story in the third semester, but Maruki is definitely a villain. He’s not evil and he means well, but what he wants isn’t any better than what Yaldabaoth wanted. I don’t think the game did a good job explaining why accepting Maruki’s reality is bad.
> 
> Maruki makes the claim that a life without pain or suffering is a better one. One thing he does for your group is undo the actions of Kamoshida. The problem with that is without Kamoshida, you wouldn’t have the same relationship with Ann or Ryuji. The phantom thieves wouldn’t need to exist so you’d never be as close with Yusuke, Makoto, or Haru. Now, Maruki fixes that by just making you all friends anyway, and that’s fine because he has that power. But in reality, you become who you were at the end of the base game because you were arrested for assault and got expelled, because Kamoshida was abusive, and because you were treated so poorly by society that you rebelled against it. Ren grows and becomes a better person during his year in Tokyo and he builds relationships that ultimately are strong enough to break through Maruki’s influence. Without his hardships he wouldn’t have needed to grow, and that’s why Maruki’s reality isn’t a perfect one.
> 
> The people living in Maruki’s world aren’t much different from the ones you see locked away in the Depths of Mementos. In both cases they’re giving up their free will, it’s just that Maruki’s world has a prettier paint job. If you accept his reality you are saying that you never want things to change, as evidenced by the ending cutscene. But the true ending shows the phantom thieves going their separate ways and trying to better themselves. Who’s to say that they won’t end up better friends in the long run? They’d most certainly become better people, just by the process of maturing and persevering through life’s challenges. You give up that chance in favor of avoiding pain and suffering if you accept Maruki’s offer.
> 
> This story is obviously about Ren and Sae, it’s not about the moral quandary that Maruki gives you, but I wanted to add something a little different for this chapter. Hopefully you can see where I’m coming from and you enjoyed it.


	7. Playing the Long Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter. Ren has to do his time, Sae has to get him out. Simple, right?

**December 25**

Sae made her way slowly up to the imposing concrete building that housed Japan’s most dangerous juvenile delinquents. Try as she might, she had been unable to keep Ren out of this glorified prison while she worked through the case against Shido. The Phantom Thieves had been exonerated in the court of public opinion, but the legal system worked a bit slower.

As the lead prosecutor in the case, Sae had demanded a chance to see the most important witness on a regular basis. Once a week was all the government had agreed to, and Sae had taken it.

And so, every Saturday for the foreseeable future, Sae would be making the hour-long drive to the outskirts of Tokyo to check on her favorite teenager.

An imposing guard, all muscles and glares, held open the door to the lobby. Sae met his gaze, unintimidated. She’d cut her teeth in the harshest prisons in Tokyo, she wouldn’t be intimidated by anyone in a juvenile detention center. Sae approached the desk and the young bespectacled man seated there.

“Sae Niijima here to meet with Ren Amamiya,” Sae said in lieu of a greeting. The man started, and looked at her confused.

“Who?” He asked slowly.

“Sae Niijima,” Sae said slowly, raising her eyebrow.

“No, I heard you,” the man said with a scowl, “who are you hear to see?”

“Ren Amamiya,” she replied tersely. The man’s eyes showed no recognition.

“The leader of the phantom thieves,” Sae said slowly. The man gave her a wide-eyed look.

“Really?” the man said incredulously, “you’re the prosecutor on the Shido case?”

“Yes,” Sae said tersely, a warning in her voice. The young man did not seem to notice.

“But you’re a woman,” The young man exclaimed, and Sae could feel her eyes roll involuntarily as the large guard laughed from his spot by the entrance.

“Yes, I am,” Sae said, her voice ice cold, “I’m also a federal prosecutor, so unless you’d like to be hauled into court for obstructing an investigation, I’d suggest you get me my witness.”

The man paled and picked up the phone in front of him. A few quick words to whoever was on the other end of the line and Sae found herself being led to another room deeper in the facility.

As she entered, the guard pulled the door shut behind her without a word. It felt sterile, empty except for a table and two chairs. Sae took a seat and waited.

Soon enough, a door against the opposite wall opened and Ren entered, accompanied by a guard. His eyes lit up when he saw her, and Sae had to fight the urge to smile. Professionalism was key, at least while they weren’t alone.

The guard fastened the handcuffs on Ren’s wrist to an iron ring on the table and left without a word.

There was a moment of silence as they looked at each other.

“So…” Ren began slowly, but stopped. There was something in his eyes that was pulling Sae in, something real. Whatever it was that he wanted to say was interrupted as he shifted his hands and the clink of handcuffs echoed in the silent room. Ren gave a rueful smile.

“Do I need to get used to wearing these?” Ren shook his wrists, the cuffs clinking lightly, “is this something you’re into?”

“Does it seem like something I’d be into?” Sae asked with a smile.

“Honestly?” Ren shrugged, “Yes, yes it does.”

“Guess you’ll have to wait and see,” Sae smirked.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Sae rested her hand atop one of Ren’s, trying to convey her support.

“How are you doing?” Sae said seriously.

“I’m fine,” Ren shrugged, “it’s boring but I’m making do.”

“That’s good,” Sae nodded, “met anyone interesting in here?”

“Not yet,” Ren laughed lightly, “making friends isn’t much of a priority in here. How did everyone take the news?”

Ren’s tone was light but Sae could hear the underlying uncertainty.

“The announcement of your arrest is coming out today,” Sae shrugged, “I’m sure they’ll be pissed, and I’m not looking forward to justifying it to Makoto. But you know they’re going to do everything they can to get you out.”

“I’m lucky to have friends like them,” Ren said quietly. It was rare to see him embarrassed, and Sae couldn’t keep the warm smile off her face.

“You deserve it,” Sae reassured, “you deserve better than to be here, and we’re all going to do our best to get you out.”

Ren grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Sae could tell there were a lot of things he was trying to convey with that gesture. She’d made out with the boy in a dark alley just a few weeks prior, and yet this felt more intimate by far.

“Thank you,” he murmured, and Sae squeezed his hand in response.

“So is there anything I can do to help the case?” Ren asked.

“We’ll need your testimony in court eventually,” Sae shrugged, “right now we’re mostly gathering information on Shido’s connections. It’s surprising how quickly people are willing to turn on him to save their owns kins.”

“It really isn’t,” Ren shrugged.

“No, I guess it isn’t,” Sae agreed. “It’s a big case, it’s going to take a while before it comes to trial. We’re working on getting you out of here before that.”

“And what’s the chances that happens?” Ren asked quietly.

“Not great, but it happens,” Sae said honestly. “Most people don’t have a group of people fighting for him like you do though.”

“I know you’ll do everything you can,” Ren nodded.

“Of course,” Sae said resolutely. “No matter what, you’re not going to be stuck in here any longer than absolutely necessary.”

“So, what do you think your friends will think when they find out you’re dating a criminal?” Ren smirked, a bit of his normal self shining through.

“Hmm, that depends on if he actually asks me out on a date,” Sae deadpanned.

“You never struck me as the type of person to wait for a man to make the first move,” Ren teased.

“Well, technically you’re still a child,” Sae pointed out with a smirk.

“Ouch,” Ren winced, “that one hurts. Guess I’ll have to show you how much of a man I really am.”

“Sounds like a hell of a night,” Sae gave him a meaningful look and a bit of pink appeared on his cheeks. It was good to know that his cocky attitude wasn’t entirely unshakeable.

“I should probably leave soon,” Sae said regretfully, “I’d hate for the guards to get the wrong idea.”

“I don’t think they allow conjugal visits,” Ren agreed. “Same time next week?”

“I’ll be there,” Sae smiled as she stood. As she reached the door, she turned back and met his eyes one last time.

“We can do this,” Sae said sternly. “You can do this.”

“Damn right,” Ren said with a cocky smirk.

**January 1st**

As the guard led Ren into the interrogation room, Sae couldn’t help but notice how tired he looked. The bags under his eyes betrayed him, but as soon as he saw her his face spread into a smile.

“Happy New Year, prosecutor,” Ren said as the guard locked his cuffs to the table.

“Happy New Year,” Sae murmured, her mask of professionalism firmly in place until the guard left.

As the door closed, Sae reached out and took Ren’s hand. It felt like the right thing to do, and Ren seemed to appreciate it.

“How are you holding up?” Sae asked, her face a picture of concern.

“I’m doing better now that you’re here,” Ren said with a smile.

“Even you can’t pull that line off,” Sae shook her head.

“Can’t I?” Ren’s smile grew, “you love it, admit it.”

“I will do no such thing,” Sae gave him a flat look.

Ren shrugged but his smile remained.

“So, tell me about the outside world,” Ren said.

Sae read between the lines.

“Your friends have committed themselves to do whatever it takes to get you out of here. They’ve contacted most of your friends, you really do keep strange company.”

“That I do,” Ren nodded.

“Last I heard they were handing out fliers on the streets to get the public on your side,” Sae shook her head.

Ren didn’t seem to know how to respond to that, but his face betrayed how much his friends’ efforts meant to him. Sae didn’t call attention to it.

“So, anything new happen with you?” Sae said gently, “how have they been treating you?”

“Fine,” Ren shrugged, “I think they’re afraid of me, they just leave me alone.”

“I guess that’s better than the alternative,” Sae said, and Ren nodded in agreement.

“Don’t worry about me,” Ren said, fixing her with a determined stare, “I can handle this, you guys just focus on getting Shido.”

Sae nodded, and gave him a supportive smile.

Their talk turned to lighter topics and their hour together seemed to fly by. Before she knew it, Sae was driving home, the detention center disappearing in her rearview mirror.

**January 8th**

Their third meeting went much the same as the first two. Ren looked even more tired than before, the bags under his eyes even more prominent.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Sae asked, and Ren shook his head.

“I’m fine,” he said, a bit more brusquely than she expected, “I’m just tired.”

Sae wanted to push him further, to be there for him, but what if she just pushed him away? More than anything she wanted to help him, but she knew more than anyone just how difficult it could be to let people in.

She resolved to redouble her efforts to get him out. Everything would be ok then.

**January 15th**

Their conversation was strained. Ren seemed like he was barely there, and he answered her questions with one-word replies. He looked exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept a wink.

It was uncomfortable, in a way that Sae had not yet experienced when talking to Ren. But she was not the type to give up. So she kept peppering him with information about the case, about his friends, and about life in general. He hardly seemed to hear her.

“So how is the case going?” Ren asked finally, his voice tired. “Any progress?”

“Yes, some,” Sae nodded, “we’re getting there, it just takes time.”

“How much more time?” Ren demanded, his voice uncharacteristically harsh.

“It doesn’t work like that,” Sae explained calmly.

“I’m sorry,” Ren said slowly, “this place is starting to wear on me, I feel like I’m slipping.”

“It’s okay,” Sae accepted his apology, “I know this is hard.”

“You have no idea,” Ren shook his head. “I feel like I’m never going to get out.”

“You will,” Sae reassured, “I told you, I’ll make sure of it.”

The look Ren gave her was unreadable, but for the first time Sae could sense his doubt in her. She hated it.

“Do you trust me?” Sae demanded.

“I do,” Ren said after a half-second.

“No you don’t,” Sae narrowed her eyes. “I am working myself nearly to death on this case because I want to get you out.”

“Yeah, well I’m in prison,” Ren snapped back, “for something that I didn’t do.”

“I know!” Sae rose her voice, “and I’m working as fast as I can.”

“Fine,” Ren said waspishly, “then how about you stop wasting time here and get back to it.”

“Is that what you want?” Sae demanded, “I drive out here to see you, but I can just as easily spend the day working.”

“Good,” Ren snapped back, “maybe you can actually make some progress.”

“I’m out of here,” Sae stood up suddenly, “I’m not going to listen to this from you.”

“The next time I see you I’d better be walking out of this shithole,” Ren shot back as she threw the door open and stalked out of the interrogation room.”

**January 22nd**

Sae spent the entire weekend in her office working on the case. She did not spend the day thinking about Ren. She was a successful prosecutor, she did not pine after boys.

She did not want to run to her car and drive out to the detention center just to see Ren again.

She would finish this case and get him out, but that was it. If he wanted to apologize then maybe she’d accept it.

**January 29th**

She sat in her chair in the interrogation room, anxiously waiting for Her excuse was that she was making real progress in the case and she would need to help Ren get his testimony ready. That was what she would tell him if he asked. Getting to see him was simply a side effect, and she wouldn’t be taking any of his attitude. She was ready to tell him so when the door opened and he was led in.

Her words died on her lips when she saw him.

He looked absolutely gaunt, his eyes sunken and dark. His hair hung in his face, and he slumped forward, shuffling into the room. The guard once again locked the teenager to the table and left without a word.

Sae practically shot out of her chair, pacing quickly around the table to place her hand against the teen’s forehead.

“What are they doing to you?” Sae demanded, her voice laced with righteous anger.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you last time,” Ren mumbled, “I thought you’d never come back.”

“It’s forgiven,” Sae dismissed, “I’m sorry for my part as well, now tell me what’s been going on?”

“Nothing,” Ren leaned his head down, placing a cheek against the cold metal of the table. “Same as always, just sitting in a cell all day.”

“All day?” Sae asked slowly, “Like solitary confinement?”

“Yeah,” Ren mumbled, his eyes closed, “It was fine until I thought I’d chased you off, then it got so much worse.”

“Hey, you can’t scare me off,” Sae said pointedly, slowly rubbing the boy’s back with her hand, “I’m too determined to get what I want.”

“Oh?” Ren mumbled, “and what’s that?”

“You,” Sae admitted softly, “wholly and completely.”

Ren smiled at that, although it was more of a grimace. Still, it was a marked improvement.

“I don’t deserve you,” Ren said slowly, his eyes opening and meeting her own, “I really, really don’t.”

“Maybe not,” Sae smirked lightly, “but that’s not really up to you.”

“Fair enough,” Ren nodded.

“Is there anything I can do?” Sae said slowly, “I can’t get you out of solitary, I don’t have any say over how they treat you, but if there’s anything else I can do, name it.”

Ren sat up slowly, turning in his seat as best he was able with his hands bound and fixed with her with a smirk. He looked a lot more like his normal self in Sae’s eyes.

“I think you know what I want,” Ren said slowly, deliberately, “I want to win our bet.”

“Is that so?” Sae shook her head, “and you think this is how you’ll do it?”

“Hey, you asked how you could help,” Ren shrugged, “the chance to see you in that dress might be just what I need to make it through.”

“You’re shameless,” Sae laughed.

“You love it,” Ren smirked.

“Maybe I do,” Sae said, giving him a mischievous smile and making her move.

She slid into his lap as smoothly as she was able, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing her forehead against his.

“Maybe I can’t get enough of it, she whispered into his lips, feeling him tense up beneath her.

“Maybe all this waiting is torture,” Sae leaned in closer to whisper into his ear.

Sae could feel a growing firmness pressing against her and she smirked.

“I guess you feel the same?” Sae asked, nipping at his earlobe. She could feel him tense up and groan beneath her and she laughed breathily.

“I know it’s so… hard,” Sae whispered, “but you’re doing great.”

Ren’s hands pulled against his handcuffs, seemingly desperate to grab her and Sae could feel a burning heat growing in her abdomen in response. His lips latched onto her neck and kissed her desperately. Sae let out an soft, involuntary moan.

“When you get out of here,” Sae said quietly, “you’re taking me out, and I’ll wear whatever you want.”

Ren stilled, and pulled back, giving her a searching look.

“You mean…” Ren began, and Sae nodded happily.

“You win,” Sae smiled coyly. “I just can’t resist you any longer.”

“Oh thank god,” Ren said, his lips crashing into hers, kissing her forcefully.

Sae laughed as she kissed him back, and for a few precious moments, all was well.

Unfortunately, the reality of their situation soon came back to them and Sae slowly extricated herself from Ren’s lap. She straightened her clothes and pointedly kept her eyes above Ren’s waist where a certain something had been making its presence known a few moment earlier.

“So,” Ren said slowly, his cheeks flushed, “how is the case going?”

“Good,” Sae said, “I’m hoping to have you out of here soon.”

“That’s good,” Ren nodded, still a bit dazed.

“I find myself strangely motivated,” Sae smirked, her eyes sparkling.

**February 5th**

Sae listened intently as Ren finished his story of an alternate timeline where her father was alive and she and Ren were together.

“Do you think I made the right choice?” Ren asked slowly, and Sae could hear the doubt in his voice.

“I think so,” Sae said after a moment.

“Are you sure?” Ren asked.

“No,” Sae admitted, “but I’m happy with where I am now. If I was as different as you say, I don’t think I’d want that.”

Ren released a sigh, and Sae could tell this had been weighing on him. She gave him a reassuring smile.

“So, how’s the case going?” Ren asked suddenly, and Sae took his hamfisted attempt to change the subject in stride.

“Good,” Sae smiled, “and the efforts of your friends may be paying off. There’s been a huge public outcry for your release.”

“Really?” Ren said, excitement in his voice.

“Yes,” Sae nodded, “I’m hoping to get you out of here within the next few weeks.”

“That’s amazing Sae!” Ren said excitedly and Sae felt a surge of joy at his enthusiasm.

“Just hold on a little longer, ok?” Sae smiled.

“I’ll just spend my time thinking about our date,” Ren winked at her and Sae shook her head.

**February 12th**

The morning was a blur for Ren. He’d expected to sit in his cell until Sae showed up to meet him, something he’d begun to rely on to keep his sanity. Instead, he’d been awoken by a guard banging on his cell door at the crack of dawn. He’d been dragged to the showers and instructed to wash. Then he’d been dragged to what looked like a waiting room, complete with a couches and chairs.. The stone-faced guard unlocked the handcuffs around his wrists and left. Ren sank into the comfortable couch nearby, its softness foreign to him after so long on hard benches and flat mattresses.

Then, after an hour or so of waiting, a door opened and another guard dropped a plastic bag on the floor, instructing him to change. When the door closed, Ren went to collect the mysterious package. It contained the clothes he’d worn here a month and a half ago, wrinkled and slightly musty. Ren felt excitement growing inside him. He shucked off the plain gray uniform of the facility and pulled on the familiar clothes.

A few minutes later, the door opened again and a new guard entered.

“Come with me,” the guard said in lieu of a greeting. Ren followed the man silently.

As they made their way through the bowels of the concrete prison that had been Ren’s home for the last six weeks, Ren couldn’t help the excited nervousness growing inside him. There was only one reason he’d be unchained and back in his own clothes.

They reached a large set of double doors and the guard gave two sharp knocks. It was opened from the other side and the light of day came streaming through.

It seemed to be the lobby of the facility if the interior decorations were any indication. And there, with the light shining around her from the windows behind stood Sae, like an angel of salvation.

She was in pure professional mode, glaring at the guard ahead of him and the poor receptionist who looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. Her arms were crossed, and she wore a stiff black suit and heels.

She’d never looked hotter in Ren’s eyes.

“Are we done?” Sae asked the receptionist, not waiting for a response as she finally turned to address Ren.

“Come with me Mr. Amamiya,” she said sternly, “You’ve been granted bail. I’ve been instructed to deliver you to your guardian.”

Ren caught on to her performance immediately, assuming the lobby would be monitored via video. It wouldn’t do to throw himself into her arms where anyone could see. Instead, he followed her out the front door and to her sedan.

As they took their seats, Sae visibly relaxed, giving him a dazzling smile.

“You did it,” Ren said, his own smile growing.

“Your friends helped,” Sae admitted with a shrug, but Ren shook his head.

“I’m sure they helped, but you’re the one who did it.”

Sae almost preened at the compliment and Ren felt a surge of heat reach his cheeks. She was just so beautiful. His savior.

“So, what did you miss the most about the outside world?” Sae asked.

Ren nearly dove across the center console to take her lips in his own, hands cupping her cheeks as he pulled her towards him. Ren could feel the laugh in her throat as it morphed into something deeper and more raw. He kissed her like he was starving and she was the only one who could save him.

Sae broke the kiss first, pulling back with a dazed look on her face that Ren took immense pride in.

“We shouldn’t be doing this in the parking lot,” she said slowly, her voice raspier than usual, “Anyone could walk by.”

“Then take us somewhere more private,” Ren growled out, “I’ve been in prison, my self control is running out.”

Sae laughed lightly as she shifted the car into reverse.

“Soon,” she whispered, “Your friends are waiting for you at Leblanc.”

“How soon?” Ren asked in a low voice.

“I have a reservation on Valentine’s Day at a very nice restaurant.” Sae said with a sly smile. “Do you think you could get a suit before then.”

“I’ll get a suit made of solid gold thread if I need to,” Ren said resolutely.

“I still think I’ll catch more eyes than you,” Sae said slyly, “I had a certain dress dry-cleaned last week.”

Ren had to roll down the window and take several deep breaths

**February 14**

Sae had planned an entire night for their first date. With Ren in lockdown, she’d been the only one who could do so. And in between the long hours of work and the brief respite for sleep and food, she’d been able to put together what she thought was a very nice date.

They would meet at the restaurant, a high-end place tucked away in a corner of Kichijoji. It was expensive, but more importantly it was private. She was unlikely to see anyone she knew. They would have a great meal and a chance to really get to know each other in a way that they’d had little time to do with all the world-saving going on.

They could stroll around the city if they felt up to it, taking in the sights. Sae had bought a long jacket that hid much and would keep the public attention away from her rather ostentatious dress while they walked.

Then, they would return to her apartment. Sae had told Makoto under no circumstances was she to be home until the following day, and her sister had said she would stay with Ann. Makoto early complaints of her relationship with Ren had been strangely absent, and Sae took it as taciturn approval.

What happened after that would be up to Ren, mostly. She was in her twenties, she’d had relationships in the past. Ren was seventeen, and as mature as he acted, he was still relatively inexperienced and the last thing she wanted was to push him to go too far too fast. She’d never forgive herself if she felt like she was taking advantage of him.

That had been her plan, and she felt it was a good one.

It had barely lasted past her arrival at the restaurant. The look in Ren’s eyes when he spotted her was priceless. She’d never seen him so shook, his jaw had literally dropped. And then he’d kissed her.

Maybe it was the look on his face, maybe it was the fact they were finally free to be together, maybe it was something else. But whatever it was, the plans pretty much went out the window at that point.

Sae couldn’t tell you whose idea it was, and who was dragging who, but suddenly they were locked in a bathroom. Ren had picked her up and was holding her bodily against the wall, kissing her thoroughly. She was pawing at him frantically, holding his face in one moment, dragging her nails across his clothed back in another. Ren kept giving low groans and rumbling grunts that were driving her wild.

He pulled her to the counter, sitting her down with her legs spread around him. Sae imagined she looked thoroughly disheveled, but the hungry look in Ren’s dilated eyes pushed any concerns out of her mind. He was grabbing at her now too, his hands running trails along her sides, hips and chest. A heat had grown inside her, and it threatened to burst into flame. Desperately she pulled away.

“Wait,” she gasped out, “What are we doing?”

“I thought that was obvious,” Ren said with a cocky smile, his dark eyes giving him a roguish look that Sae fought to resist.

“No, I mean what about our date? What about dinner?” Sae asked.

Ren gave her an obvious once over, and it was a testament to how far gone she was that Sae hardly noticed.

“I couldn’t care less about dinner,” Ren said slowly, “I’m not hungry for food.”

He kissed her again, and Sae’s toes nearly curled. She desperately pushed him back.

“You are incorrigible,” Sae shook her head.

“You love it,” Ren shot back, smiling.

“Maybe,” Sae shrugged, “But I don’t want our first time to be here.”

“The only thing in my world right now is you,” Ren said in a surprisingly tender tone, “I don’t care where we are.”

Sae grasped his face with both hands, looking deep into his eyes. There was no dishonesty, and for the first time that she could remember, she felt truly… loved. Maybe it was too much too soon, but their relationship could hardly be considered normal.

“Can you at least make it back to my apartment?” Sae asked with a small smile.

“Can you?” Ren shot back, his characteristic smirk returning.

“Please,” Sae teased, “You’re the one I’m worried about. I’m more than capable of keeping myself under control.”

“Oh?” Ren’s eyebrow rose, “Do we need to make another bet?”

Sae could only giggle happily as he closed in on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is. I hope you enjoyed the story. I've been planning and working on another Persona 5 story, but I didn't want to publish anything with this story unfinished. Let me know in the comments if you like it or if you have any criticism. And keep an eye out for a new story coming out soon.


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